Some Bonds Can Perform Miracles
by KayBeth13
Summary: Steve and Beth Rogers have been reunited. It doesn't matter that he has to adapt to this new world, or that his sister has become a hardened soldier. They have each other and they can finally live their lives in peace, until the Earth is threatened by a certain God, testing their relationship as they fight to save the world and each other...Story 2 in the Some Bonds series.
1. Transformations

_Here we are: the second story of the Some Bonds series! For those who haven't already, please read story one, entitled Some Bonds Will Never Be Broken:_ _s/11624065/1/Some-Bonds-Can-Never-Be-Broken_ _, as there are a lot of references to the events in that story here. For those who have read it, I'm beyond thrilled that you're still with me and wanting to follow Beth's story! This one takes place through the events of the Avengers and will be a bit shorter than the last story. I hope you enjoy it!_

 _ **March 5**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 1945. Somewhere in the ocean, somewhere in the world.**_

Blinding hot pain was the first thing she became aware of. Either she was dead and had gone to Hell, or somehow, she'd miraculously survived and was regaining consciousness. Briefly, she remembered Bucky telling her that feeling pain was the only reassurance he had that he was alive after the battle at Azzano, but right now, Beth wasn't sure if she wanted to be alive. Certainly not with the agony tearing through her. Next came the cold; icy water turning her skin blue, hypothermia already set in. Her teeth began chattering and within seconds, she knew her body was shutting down. There was a tug on her shoulder, and with a sluggish turn of her head, she was alerted to the third thing; someone or something was pulling her out of the water. With a scream as her stomach wound ripped open further, she was unceremoniously dropped on the floor of a boat. She groaned, weakly managing to raise her head enough to see a figure looming over her, wearing a black ski mask. Her head grew fuzzy and the last thing she was aware of was the symbol on his coat.

HYDRA.

…

It was pitch black and deathly silent. Suddenly, the world exploded in gold light and she felt a surge of energy shoot through her. Her body felt like ice and fire, dead and alive, unlike anything she'd ever before felt. She wanted to scream, but she also wanted to laugh. In an instant, it was over and she slumped over, though this time, there was no darkness and no silence. She was aware of people talking around her and in the background, she could hear a faint buzzing of machinery.

"I know you are awake, fraulein. Open your eyes."

She did, the brightness of the room making her flinch. At first, her vision was blurry, but it cleared quickly, showing her a face she hadn't expected to ever see again.

"Zola." She growled, rage flooding through her.

"In the flesh. You thought I would be dead, no?"

"I had hoped." She admitted.

His face contorted in a sneer and she tried to lunge for him, failing when she almost pulled her arms out of their sockets. A quick glance told her that she was strapped onto a table, metal strips holding her in place. The pain she expected from her stomach didn't come and she looked down to see the wound was completely healed. Sensing the scientist had done something to her, she bared her teeth, glaring at the man responsible for her fiancé's death.

"Unfortunately for you, the American government has decided to recruit me to assist them. They think I am their puppet, but in truth, they are the puppets. They believe that keeping me close means they have more control of me, when in reality, it gives me more opportunity to continue the work started by HYDRA."

"Steve will find you and put an end to you."

His sneer turned to a grin and he laughed manically, the sound sending shivers down her spine.

"Ah, but that is the thing. Captain America, or Steve, as you so fondly call him, is dead."

It was as if he'd punched her in the stomach. The air rushed out of her and she fought back against the tears welling up in her eyes.

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

He turned to a screen behind him and with a press of a button, the sound of a radio broadcaster she listened to regularly filled the room, sadly informing the world that after crashing his plane, Captain America was dead. Beth found herself unable to hold back her tears any longer, wishing she was dead too. First Bucky, then Edward, and now Steve. She was alone, and prisoner of a mad man. Zola watched as she fought not to break down, a cruel smile on his face. Perfect, he thought to himself. If she broke now, it would be easier to mould her to his bidding later on.

"You won't win." She said after a few moments.

He looked at her in surprise, not expecting her voice to hold that much steel. Her eyes stared back at him, piercing blue blazing with rage, not the defeat he'd hoped for. She gave him a satisfied smile.

"You hoped the news of Steve would break my spirit, didn't you? That's right," she continued as he looked at her in shock, "I see you, and I see your plan. I've been there once before because of you, and I will never go there again. Do your worst, because I. Will. Not. Break."

She spat the last few words and Zola felt his face drop in a glare at her defiance. He quickly composed himself as he looked over at his research, the cruel smile returning to his face.

"You may regret those words. HYDRA will have many lifetimes to make you break."

She looked back at him, confusion on her face. The gleeful giggle returned and he all but skipped over to her, eager to see her reaction.

"When I created this lab, it was to originally continue the research Schmidt gave me. However, I figured, why try to recreate someone else's serum, when I could just invent my own?"

Her stomach began to twist and once more, she struggled against her binds.

"It's no use, miss Rogers. You are my pet now. You're not going anywhere. Now, where was I? Oh yes, my serum. Erskine was a genius to turn a frail, sickly man like your brother into such an unstoppable force, but I am the true genius."

He held up a vial of dark purple liquid, the colour reminding Beth of an amethyst crystal her mother gave her one year as a gift. The foreboding in her grew and she felt her breath speed up in the start of a panic attack. Zola tutted and reached out for the glass of water next to him, splashing it into her face. The shock of cold snapped her breathing to control with a gasp.

"That's better. No time for panic attacks today, I'm afraid. As I was saying, this serum is the true future of science. Not only has it make you stronger, faster and quicker to heal, the true beauty is that your cells, and therefore you, are…how do you say it? Ah, yes. Frozen in time. There will never have to be a worry about you expiring. You will be HYDRA's weapon from now until the end of time."

She gagged, realising the reason she felt so healthy was because the sick minded man in front of her had already injected her. It explained the lack of pain as well as the surge of power she'd momentarily felt whilst she'd been unconscious. She wanted to sob, knowing her fate was to be a puppet for HYDRA. Even if she could escape, she would be doomed to a life of watching everyone around her growing old and dying, while she stayed the same. She, Steve and Bucky had once had a conversation about what it would be like to be immortal. Bucky had claimed it would be incredible, but the siblings had been in agreement that they would rather grow old and die when their time came. Reflecting on Zola's words, her face creased into a frown.

"How…" she began, voice croaking from dryness. "How can I heal from a wound if my cells are frozen?"

He smiled like the cat that got the cream. Beth thought he resembled a rat, his hands rubbing together gleefully as his eyes twitched with happiness.

"That is the crux of my brilliance! Though your cells are frozen in terms of ageing, my serum programs them to respond to damage, unfreezing them long enough to heal at an accelerated rate!"

The thought made her sick. She was living in a nightmare, and she was the monster to be feared. At least Steve's serum would allow him to grow old and was made with good intentions. She wanted to cry, but refused to let Zola see her crack.

Instead, she would focus on escape.

Escape, and revenge.


	2. Time Changes People

_Oh my God, Civil War is INCREDIBLE! I saw the midnight premier in the UK last night and almost cried with how amazing it was! Seriously, it was **THAT** good._

 _So, to celebrate the release of Civil War, I will be uploading one chapter every day this week instead of leaving it a week or two between each one._

 _Without further ado, here's the first upload!_

 _ **April 18**_ _ **th**_ _ **, 2012.**_ _ **SHIELD headquarters, New York City.**_

Steve listened intently to Beth, unable to believe that the woman in front of him had managed to stay so strong, even after she believed all hope to be lost.

"As you can see, the serum worked, and still works to this day. Kinda like yours."

"Is there a cure?" he asked, unable to think of being reunited with her only for her to have to watch him die of old age one day. Something told him she wouldn't survive losing him a second time.

She nodded, to his surprise.

"Zola always had an anti-serum, just in case this one failed and he needed to reverse it and try again. When his lab was discovered, it was taken by Peggy and Howard. They offered it to me, but I decided to use my abilities to help SHIELD and the serum was placed somewhere secure. It's been almost seventy years and until a few days ago, I wasn't yet ready to take it. Now, I have a reason to."

Steve gave an understanding nod, knowing he would have done the exact same thing had the tables been turned.

"And here, I thought the serum Erskine created was beyond crazy."

Beth snorted, her eyes shining in amusement as she responded.

"Honestly, I thought he was joking at first, but after I managed to break a guard's leg with a single kick and the bullet wound from that escape attempt healed after only four days, I realised he was telling the truth. I was so afraid that they would turn me into a monster. It took everything I had not to take my own life in the years they held me captive." She admitted.

Steve reached out to touch her, beyond grateful that she'd lived to be here with him today.

"What kept you going?" he asked.

"At first, with every attempt to turn me into a puppet, I just grew angrier instead of more submissive. After a period of time, it was pure determination to be free that drove me. when I escaped, I was going to use my new abilities to take out HYDRA and do something good, follow in your footsteps and show the world that we Rogers' are a tough breed."

Steve gave her one of his sidelong looks, his lip curving up as Beth grinned back.

"There's one downside to Zola's serum that Erskine's got right" Steve observed.

Beth's brow raised up quizzically.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"You're still a shorty." He joked, reaching down to fondly rub her hair.

She pushed his hand away and stuck her tongue out at him, glad for the distraction from the intensity of the conversation.

"Ha ha, very funny. That may be so, but I have noticed that when I knock someone down, they tend not to get back up again. Being short and female helps a lot, makes me appear less dangerous. " she shrugged.

Her nonchalance startled a laugh out of him and he shook his head.

"That, I'd like to see." He confessed, intrigued by how she'd changed.

Though her appearance was the same, he could definitely see she'd changed in personality. it was inevitable, he conceded; after all, he doubted anyone would be completely unchanged after 70 years. She was certainly tougher than he remembered, her aura radiating a commanding authority more akin to that of a hardened soldier than the soft-hearted medic she'd been. Her eyes, though wrinkle-free, held an age and weariness to them that was both haunting and beautiful. Even the way she held herself was different. Growing up, she'd held her head high, but there had been an innocence about her, a gentleness extending from her soul. now, that side of her was hidden away, a barrier her mind constructed to protect herself from the realities of being not only a survivor of war, but the survivor of abuse, torture and captivity. Steve just hoped that it was simply a barrier, that his baby sister was still in there somewhere. Only time would tell.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Steve jumped, the noise unexpected as Beth swivelled on her heels, relaxing when she realised it was Fury who entered the room. He closed the door softly behind him before addressing Steve.

"I didn't get to say it earlier, but it's nice to see you back from the dead, Captain. I'm Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD"

He extended his hand and after giving it a cautious glance, Steve accepted it, his head nodding jerkily.

"Thanks for pulling me out of the ice. A warning would have been nice though." He said, indicating to Beth, who had turned away from the pair to stare out the window.

She flashed a grin over her shoulder before returning to watching the world below.

"My apologies. The aim was to try and break it gently to you. Still, it worked out in the end."

Steve noticed Beth frown and reach up to rub her neck. His hands fisted instinctively, shaking as guilty washed over him once more. Beth spoke before he could say anything.

"Yeah, thanks for that." She grumbled, casting the director a chilling glance.

He shrugged, the gesture stemming from the familiarity of two people having worked together long enough to navigate each other's mannerisms. Pleased to see she had a least one person she appeared comfortable around, Steve watched as Beth pulled a slim device from her pocket and handed it to the director, a wry smile on her face as he pursed his lips at the sight of the cracked screen.

"Hey, don't look like that. You're the one who sent me in to Steve's room, so it's your fault it broke when he slammed me against the wall." She defended.

"Yeah, well maybe if you stopped putting breakable things in your ass pocket, they may not break as often." he fired back.

Not missing a beat, Beth folded her arms, a teasing glint in her eye.

"Trying to say I have a fat ass, Nick?"

The director gaped like a fish, her words stumping him. Admitting defeat, he sighed and pocketed the device.

"Nicely played, Rogers."

"Thank you, sir."

Steve looked between the two, torn between bafflement and surprise at the words they flung at each other. He was also stunned by the casualness Beth had dropping the word ass. Back in the day, the worst he'd heard her say was hell, and even then either himself or their mother would call her out on it. As if sensing his thoughts, Beth looked over at him with an apologetic smile.

"I know, I know. Language."

"You're dammed right." He replied, trying and failing to maintain a stern expression.

Nick watched as Beth began laughing once more, already seeing a change in the woman. Though he'd known her almost thirty years, she'd always been a reserved woman who rarely allowed herself happiness. He'd seen her smirk and tease people before, but in the past few years, she'd withdrawn more and more until now it was rare to see her smile. As far as he knew, only two people could draw a laugh from her now, surprising considering one of them was even colder and more detached than Beth. Seeing her now, radiant and carefree, he could see what Peggy and the remaining Howling Commandos meant when they said she used to be the team's ray of sunshine and the one who worked alongside her fiancé to bring laughter to the group. Thinking of them reminded him of his second purpose and he cleared his throat to gain their attention once more.

"We've had a lot of people calling to ask for more information." He informed them. "Most persistently has been a certain member of the Howling Commandos, who won't take no for an answer and is demanding to speak with you, Beth."

Beth snorted and Steve's expression turned puzzled.

"Howling Commandos?"

Beth looked at him in shock, forgetting that he had missed so much since being in the ice.

"Shortly after the war, tales of you and the team became legendary, and we were given the name 'Howling Commandos'. Don't ask me where the name came from, it was already in place when I got away from HYDRA. I'm guessing the Commando in question is Dum Dum, right?" she asked Nick.

Fury nodded and Beth smirked.

"It's okay. I'll call him and the others later and let them know the details. Right now, I just want to spend a bit more time with my brother."

"I understand, and I also predicted as much, which is why we've set Captain Rogers up with an apartment close to your own."

The siblings looked at him in surprise, neither expecting the director to let Steve out of SHIELD's sight so soon. Still, Beth thought, he wasn't exactly out of their sight completely, considering she was one of their agents. She turned to face Steve, Nick quietly slipping out of the room.

"I'll stay with you, if you like."

Just as she always knew the true meaning behind his words when he spoke, the same was true of him. He heard the real unspoken question: "Can I stay with you?" He opened his arms and she came to him without hesitation.

"Please."

…

It was almost midnight by the time they'd signed the paperwork allowing Steve to leave the building. Neither sibling was remotely tired, so it mattered little to them. Fury had another agent drive them to Steve's apartment, stopping briefly at Beth's building so she could grab some essentials. She was gone from the car only seconds, returning with a single backpack and large duffel bag. she saw Steve's eyebrow raise and shrugged.

"I can get some more things in the morning. These are my go bags. When I need to leave quickly, I can just grab them and be on my way."

They were quiet the remainder of the journey; Steve watching New York go by with a dazed expression, Beth unable to take her eyes off him, still not sure if this was some kind of sick mind game someone was playing on her. They thanked the driver and entered the apartment, Beth smiling to see they'd kept it as simple as possible, the electronics in the room replicas from the 1940s. The only piece of modern technology she could see was the microwave in the kitchen and the burglar alarm by the front door. As Steve shut and locked the door behind them, she reached into her duffel bag, pulling out a sleek handgun. Steve eyed the weapon, inciting a shrug from Beth once she noticed his gaze.

"Can't be too careful."

His lips twitched as he took the second gun she held out to him.

"No, you can't." he agreed.

An hour later, Steve was sitting on the sofa wearing a pair of cotton pants and a top he'd pulled from his bag when Beth walked in, wearing a plain white vest teamed with pair of flannel pyjama bottoms covered in smiley faces. She carried a steaming mug in each hand and as she drew nearer, he realised her gun was tucked neatly into the waistband of her pants. He chose not to comment, instead thanking her as he took the mug she held out to him.

"Hot cocoa, just like mom used to make." She declared, puffing out her chest proudly.

He smiled warmly at her and took a sip, moaning as the hot, sweet liquid invaded his senses. Beth waited for him to settle back into the sofa before joining him, curling up against his side. Despite the fact it had been seventy years ago, it felt as if no time at all had passed as they sat there in each other's company. Right then, at that moment, they were just Steve and Beth Rogers, and as they sipped their drink, it was as if the past seven decades had simply been a dream.

They were together again. They were home.


	3. Night Terrors

_My apologies; I had said I was going to update every day for a week to celebrate the release of Civil War, however, illness is a bitch. So, I shall do these updates now as a belated celebration- Yay! On with the show:_

 _ **April 19**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012, Steve's Apartment, New York.**_

A scream pierced the silence of the night, a bloodcurdling, terrified sound that almost stopped Steve's heart. He flew out of bed, racing to the living room to find Beth thrashing around on the floor, tears leaking from her eyes as she cried out once more.

"No! make it stop, please! Steve! Help me! Bucky... BUCKY!"

It was clear this was no dream, but a memory, no doubt from her time with HYDRA. Hearing her keening cries for him and Bucky threatened to shatter Steve, but he pushed his feelings aside to drop next to her, gathering her into his arms. He called out to her, but she continued screaming, her struggling intensifying as his arms wrapped round her. Her fist swung out, connecting solidly with his cheek. The force of it made his head spin and from the taste of iron on his tongue, had caused his lip to split; she clearly hadn't been kidding when she said she could pack a punch now. He loosened his grip, allowing her to successfully scramble out of his embrace and spring to her feet. Her eyes were wild and darted about the room in a frenzied panic, but he could see that though they were open, they were unseeing. Slowly, he got to his feet and crept towards her, making sure he stayed in her line of sight, only to freeze as she raised her arms, a very familiar looking rifle in her hands.

"Woah, Beth, take it easy. It's me."

"You're dead."

The raw emotion of her voice had him reaching out for her, uncaring that she could easily shoot him.

"No, I'm not. I was found under the ice and we were reunited yesterday, remember? This is my apartment, we had hot cocoa and you fell asleep shortly after. This is real."

His words seemed to finally filter through the haze and she blinked slowly, her gaze beginning to focus properly on him. When she realised what she was doing, she gasped and would have dropped the rifle if Steve hadn't already been there to catch it. Carefully, he placed it on the coffee table before pulling her trembling body against his chest, soothingly rubbing up and down her arms. She didn't cry, but he could hear her breath was shaky. After a few moments, she pulled away with an apology.

"I'm sorry. I haven't had an episode like that in almost twenty-five years. I guess seeing you bought up some old memories."

Steve reached to cup her cheek, his eyes glowing with warmth and comfort.

"Don't ever apologise. I'd be amazed if you didn't have night terrors. Plus, you'll probably have to do the same for me at some point."

She smiled, the fact it didn't quite reach her eyes not skipping his notice as she bent down to pick up her rifle.

"I love your idea of emergency supplies." He commented.

This time, her smile was genuine, her eyes sparkling as she switched on the safety and rubbed the barrel affectionately.

"Yeah, well, she's good luck, remember?"

He did. From the day he'd first laid eyes on the Johnson rifle, Bucky had been smitten, and when he used it to save Beth's life twice in one day, he'd dubbed it his good luck charm. After he'd died, it had only seemed fitting that Beth was the one to inherit the weapon, and it had saved her life more times than he knew she'd ever admit.

"I assume it was given back to you when you returned?" he asked, remembering that the last time she'd used it, she'd had to leave it behind while she infiltrated HYDRA's headquarters.

She nodded as she placed it back in her duffle bag.

"Yeah. Dum Dum held on to it. Apparently, the stubborn son of a bitch refused to believe that I wasn't coming back for it. Sorry." She added, seeing Steve frown at the cuss.

The thought of Dum Dum holding on to the weapon even though she was more than likely dead made him chuckle.

"Stubborn as a mule, that one."

Beth laughed in agreement.

"To be fair, I think we were all as bad as each other. Really, it's a wonder how we got anything done. I'm still amazed at how well they managed without you and me there to bang their heads together." Her gaze softened as she thought of her old teammates. "It was them that got me away from HYDRA."

Steve's ears pricked up at that statement and he moved to sit next to her on the sofa. She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms round her knees.

"Yeah, you heard right. I'd spent so long planning my freedom, but when it came, it was largely because they found me and rescued me."

Steve didn't want to ask, but knew he'd find out sooner or later, so chose to act like he would ripping off a band aid and get it over with.

"How long were you with HYDRA?"

She sighed, her eyes becoming distant as she thought back. He reached and her hand clamped his own, something digging in to the skin. He looked down to see it was the engagement ring Bucky gave her, polished to perfection.

"Peggy knew where I stored it and gave it to Dum Dum to keep with the rifle. They also found these after going over the wreckage of the train we caught Zola on and kept them for us."

She reached for her neck, to the chain Steve had noticed earlier. She tugged lightly, a set of dog tags falling into her hand. His eyes widened as Bucky's name stared up at him.

"Apparently they must have been knocked off him just before he fell."

His eyes misted as she took them off and handed them to him, but he refused to take them.

"They're yours. Bucky was like a brother to me, but he was so much more to you. Plus, you've had them so long, I'd feel bad. Now, speaking of length of time, you haven't answered my question."

She rolled her eyes fondly as she tucked the chain back under her shirt. This time, when she spoke, she was able to stop herself from getting lost in her memories, focusing on Steve.

"I was there five years."

He gasped, as if he'd just been plunged back into the ice. She gave a small shudder, but kept her eyes open, refusing to look away from him.

"How did they find you?" he asked, knowing she must have been well hidden to take five years to find her.

"That's the first thing I said to them, actually." She said, smiling as she remembered the day she was rescued.

….

 _ **September 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **1950, HYDRA base, Mongolia.**_

" _Can't these dammed people find warmer places to build their bases?" Dum Dum muttered angrily as he stomped through the snow._

" _Oh for heaven's sake, shut up!" Falsworth snapped at him, tired of hearing him complain about the cold._

 _Dum Dum opened his mouth to argue, but a sharp look from Peggy had him shutting it again._

" _Guys, over here!" came a call that had them running over to an excited Howard Stark._

 _Wordlessly, he held out the scanner in his hand, the signal faint, but a definite reading. Peggy gasped, unable to believe the tiny, almost imperceptible blip on Howard's radar a week earlier had actually turned out to be more than a malfunctioning machine._

" _She could be alive." She said, voice trembling with hope._

" _She could be." Colonel Philips agreed, the now elderly man pulling himself out of retirement one last time when hearing the younger Rogers sibling may have survived._

 _For hours, they worked relentlessly, until Jones and Dernier gave triumphant cries as they uncovered the entrance to a facility that was very well hidden, and very clearly HYDRA. Bracing themselves, they blasted through the doors, shocked to find carnage already greeting them._

" _Well…that's not normal." Morita observed, seeing the bodies strewn about._

 _Cautiously, they made their way through the hallways, hope for Beth flickering as the number of bodies increased. Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead and they charged forward, only to stop shock still at the sight in front of them. A number of HYDRA soldiers circled round a person clad in an outfit of deep purple, all of them pointing rifles at the figure who was clearly female. They appeared to be at a stalemate, but when one of the soldiers made a move, the room exploded in gunfire. The Howling Commandos ducked from the shells, expecting the worst fate for the purple clad woman. When they raised their heads, none of them could believe it; the woman remained standing, breathing heavily and bleeding, but still upright, and the soldiers around her all lay on the floor, unmoving._

" _Woah." Dum Dum whispered._

 _She whipped round, her pistol pointing at them. They all heard her sharp intake of breath before she fired a shot, making them all drop once more. Morita was the first to notice a single HYDRA soldier crumple behind them, a fresh bullet hole in his head. Slowly, they all stood to see the woman reaching up to the helmet she wore. She unclipped it and pulled it off, blonde waves tumbling out of their confines to settle at her waist. Nobody moved, unable to believe their eyes as Beth Rogers cast the head gear aside with a glare. She looked back at the group, as if unsure they were really there or just her imagination._

" _How did you find me?" she asked._

 _Hearing her voice seemed to break the spell and the Colonel was the first to react, marching forward to ensnare her in a hug. She resisted for only a second before her knees gave out, her arms wrapping weakly round him as the reality hit her; they were here, they'd come for her. one by one, the team joined the pair until after a few moments, they were a mass of arms and tears. Peggy was the last to embrace her, her relief palatable._

" _You're alive."_

 _Beth nodded, a sodden laugh escaping her._

" _I am."_

 _She released the agent to look round the group, noting the slight changes in their appearances that told her some time had passed._

" _What's the date?" she asked._

 _They looked between each other, and she knew more time had passed than she had predicted. Time here passed so slowly, but thought it felt as though a lifetime had gone, realistically she thought it had only been a year or two at most._

" _Beth, it's September. September 1950."_

 _She could only stare blankly at Howard as he revealed she was wrong. Five years. She'd lost five years to HYDRA. She let out a bitter laugh._

" _Five years and they didn't break me, even though they said they would. I…win."_

 _She fainted on the heels of her statement, the blood loss from the bullet wounds too much for her body to take. She woke the following day in an unfamiliar room. Before panic could build, Falsworth's voice broke through the silence of the room._

" _You're safe."_

 _Her eyes met his and she found herself smiling._

" _Yeah, I am."_

…

"It turns out there was a transmitter in the gun I had with me when HYDRA caught me. when I found it, it activated the signal, and they found me as I was halfway through my own escape plan. It took a few months, but eventually, I stopped getting night terrors and re-joined the team, switching to SHIELD when the team disbanded."

Steve couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the guys interrupting her escape attempt. He was glad that they had found her, and more than grateful to SHIELD for watching over her all those years. He opened his mouth to ask her something, when there was a knock at the door. Beth rose to answer it, calling to Steve that it was Fury, armed with a replacement cell phone for her. The moment the device was switched on, she groaned, seeing that she had over fifty missed calls and voicemails.

"Sorry guys, but I really need to make some calls."

She excused herself, leaving the two males alone. Steve stood stiffly, not sure what to think of the director. Nick sighed and held out a stack of files.

"I thought you'd like to know the status of everyone in your team and the SSR. Personally, I would recommend reading them away from Beth, but that's up to you."

"Thank you." Steve replied, his tone sincere.

Fury left without another word and Steve looked down at the top file: James Morita. He flipped it open, the bright red stamp labelling his friend deceased a brutal punch to the heart. He quickly closed it again, placing the files in one of the kitchen drawers. No wander Fury recommended not letting Beth see them. How many friends had she seen grow old and die while she stayed stuck in limbo?


	4. The Tesseract

_nce again, my apologies for the delay. Things have been crazy as Iv'e just ended a relationship as well as started a new job. With that on top of juggling university and my fibromyalgia, I've just lost all interest in writing. I'm hoping to have a boost now things are beginning to settle so I hope you remain patient with me!_

 _As always, thank you so much for your reviews!_

 _ **May 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **2012, Beth's Apartment, New York City.**_

Beth woke with a start, choking back a scream for the third time that night. Breathing heavily, both out of frustration and from the dream, she glanced at the clock next to her bed to see it was 3 am. She huffed a sigh, glad she'd managed to get more than a couple of hours sleep this time, but annoyed that the dreams had come back with a vivid vengeance. It was the first night she'd slept in her own apartment since Steve returned and as she looked around, it began to dawn on her the extent of the isolation she'd created. At once, the crushing weight of loneliness as she lay in the almost-bare apartment forced her from the comfort of her covers to walk over to Steve's. The lights were off, but it wasn't unsurprising for that time of night. What did surprise her was when she unlocked the door with the key Steve gave her, the apartment was empty. Frowning, she made her way through the building, looking for any clues to his whereabouts. She paused in the kitchen, noticing a draw slightly ajar. Sliding it open, her hand halted, hovering over the files she knew were about her friends. Slamming the door mentally and physically before she was sucked into memories she'd rather avoid, she continued on to Steve's bedroom. Her hawk-like gaze settled on his nightstand and she relaxed seeing a flyer for an all-night gym sitting on top of it, the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips. Scooping up the paper, she jogged down the street and entered the gym to see Steve beating the crap out of a punch bag. She felt sorry for the bag, seeing it was ready to burst under the strain of his powerful hands. As if on cue, the bag exploded, the last punch from Steve sending it flying across the room to connect with the wall in a satisfying thud.

"Good shot."

Steve turned with a look of surprise at the sound of her voice, only letting his guard down when he realised it was Beth. He gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his neck as she drew nearer, the flyer for the gym in her hand.

"It's a good job you tend to leave clues lying around. I about had a heart attack when I realised you weren't at the apartment."

"Sorry."

She smiled, both at his sheepishness as well as the fact he didn't question her being up at such an ungodly hour, before crumpling the paper up to throw it in the trash can beside her.

"It's cool. Just leave a note or something next time, okay?"

"Deal."

She fell silent as he replaced the broken bag with a new one. As he moved to start punching again, she wordlessly stood behind it to hold it steady.

"I'll knock you over." He warned.

She shrugged, staying in place.

"You can try. I'm technically a super soldier too now, remember? Plus, I managed to almost knock you off your feet a while ago."

He knew she was right, but had to admit that seeing her petite body next to the oversized bag had made him forget momentarily. He clenched his fist and punched, deliberately softening the blow. Beth noticed the bag barely move and scowled.

"Either hit it properly or go home and get some rest."

His response was to hit the bag so hard, her teeth rattled. Grinning, she held on tighter and the pair fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the thuds of fists hitting fabric. After a while, that bag also split and Steve paused, breathing heavy as he pushed sweat soaked strands of hair off his face. As he broke away to have a drink, Beth silently lifted the next bag into place.

"We're going to have to send the owner a cheque." She joked, indicating to the pile of sand on the floor.

Though he didn't verbally respond, his eyes lit up in amusement as he returned to his punching.

"Did you want something?" he unexpectedly asked a few moments later.

Knowing he meant the fact she'd been to his apartment in the dead of night, she shook her head.

"I just realised how big my apartment is. It's funny, up until tonight, I hadn't noticed how empty and quiet it is."

Steve stopped attacking the bag to pin her with a knowing glance. She looked away, a blush crossing her face at how he saw through her. It had been so long, she'd forgotten what it felt like.

"Well, my sofa is pretty comfortable." He stated after a moment.

A couple of nights later, Beth found Steve at the gym, once more pounding away at the bag. She frowned, starting to worry about him. She knew from experience how hard sleep could be in terms of bringing back bad memories, but avoiding it all together was dangerous.

"You going to stare at me all night?" he asked, with a hint of annoyance.

Beth frowned and walked over to grab his arm, only for him to frown at her. Her response was to shove against him. He stumbled, managing to catch himself before he fell, and she was on him again, her leg swinging out to connect with his rib. He grunted, but grasped her leg to pull her closer to him. She went with it, and at the last second, jumped into the air to aim a kick at his head with her free leg, forcing him to drop the leg in his arm to block it. He didn't have time to recover, her fist snapping out to slam into his chest. This time, he pushed forward instead of falling back and grabbed her arms. They continued grappling for a while, until Steve finally managed to catch Beth off guard. His leg swept out and she crashed to the floor with a grunt. She read his next move and as he bent to pin her, she jerked up, the back of her head hitting his chin. With a groan, she staggered to her feet, clutching her skull.

"Ugh, you have a hard head." She moaned.

Steve also stood, rubbing his jaw, the area tender from the blow.

"So do you." He countered. "Mind telling me what that was about?"

She shrugged, reaching up to fix her ponytail as she walked over to her bag.

"You looked like you needed a stress reliever. Since you and Bucky died, I found sparring helps when I need to release energy, but there's only two people willing to fight me now and even then, one of them tends to tap out before I break a sweat."

Steve chuckled and returned to the punching bag. Beth could see that though he seemed in a better mood, he still had a lot on his mind, so she took a seat on the edge of one of the boxing rings in the middle of the room to watch him. He took out three more bags and Beth was glad she'd already paid the gym owner enough for thirty more. as the fourth was sent crashing against the wall in front of him, Beth realised her pocket was flashing. Reaching down, she pulled out her cell as Steve attached the next bag to the chain. She had twelve missed calls, all from within the past hour, from a mixture of Fury, Coulson and even one from Maria Hill. Her eyebrows creased in confusion as the sound of punching filled the room again. She was about to return one of the calls when a voice rang out.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Steve halted and Beth looked up at Fury, immediately sensing something was wrong.

"I've slept for seventy years, sir, I think I've had my fill."

Beth rolled her eyes as Fury suggested celebrating. Even when he had so much to live for, Steve was never one for parties and dancing, let alone now. As they continued conversing, Beth hopped off the ring and moved closer to them.

"We've made some mistakes along the way" Fury was saying. "some very recently."

"You here with a mission, sir?" Steve asked.

Beth moved so she was standing next to her brother, looking down at the file Fury held out. She sucked in a breath as she laid eyes on the photo of the tesseract, glaring up at Fury.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" she hissed after he explained Howard finding it and the work SHIELD had been doing on it.

"Because of that." He replied, indicating her anger.

Steve cast her a look before she could say anything else and handed the file back to Fury.

"Who took it from you?"

"He's called Loki. He's…not from around here."

The name rang a bell with Beth, but she didn't ask, realising Fury was still speaking.

"Ten bucks says you're wrong."

Beth snorted, deciding not to weigh in on the bet as she knew Steve was going to lose and it would be unfair to take more money from him. He moved to pick up one of the bags and Beth grinned, knowing it would end up hanging from the beam in their living room so he could hit it through the day when he got bored of reading up on history.

"There's a debriefing packet in your apartment" Nick informed him as he began walking away.

Beth went to follow, only to be stopped by Nick's hand on her shoulder. Oblivious, Steve continued walking.

"Is there anything you can tell us about the tesseract we ought to know now?" Fury asked.

"You should have left it in the ocean." Steve replied, the door banging shut behind him.

Fury turned to face Beth, who finally let her worry show.

"How bad is it, Nick?"

"Bad. We tried to call you earlier."

Expression meek, she showed him her phone had been silenced.

"I was here, worrying about Steve. Sorry."

The director looked down at her, realising for the first time how hard it must be for her having to adapt to having her brother back after so long. He'd thought so much about how Steve was coping, he'd barely given the woman a second thought.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

She shrugged, leaning against the ring once more.

"As well as can be expected. The dreams are back, and I'm terrified I'll wake up and this is all a trick or a dream, but I'm coping. I just can't believe he's here."

Fury nodded, understanding her emotions and deciding not to yell at her this time for not answering her phone.

"It's bad, Beth. We're re-initiating the Avengers project."

That got her attention, her back going ramrod straight. His gaze bore into hers and the sinking feeling in her stomach intensified. She had definitely understated when she thought something was wrong. Something was **extremely** wrong.

"Loki has a staff, with the ability to control the minds of anyone he touches with it. He's compromised Dr Erik Selvig, and he's compromised Barton."

At Clint's name, Beth reached once more for her phone and without another word, left the room.


	5. Worries

_**May 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **2012, New York City. 04:30am.**_

"Not Now, Beth." Was the greeting she received from the other end of the line.

"Yes now, Nat. I'll just keep bugging you until you talk to me."

She could picture the other woman's lips twitching up in response to the threat, knowing well that she was telling the truth. There was a sigh of defeat and Beth smirked.

"Where are you? It sounds like a rave or something in the background." Beth asked.

Natasha Romanoff, AKA the Black Widow, couldn't help but smile despite her worry and anxiousness for Clint Barton, AKA Hawkeye. Beth had always seemed to see straight through her, something the redhead attributed to her own experiences being forced to work for HYDRA. There was something about Beth that made it impossible not to like her, and despite some reservations when they first met, the two women along with Clint had become the dream team of SHIELD. Sure, they tended to get the dirty work nobody else wanted, but it meant they garnered fear and a reputation for being the best of the best. They'd also forged a deep friendship and the day Clint confided in the pair that he had a wife and a child on the way, the final bond of trust had formed, cementing the three together. In some ways for Beth, the friendship she shared with the pair of them filled some of the void that was Steve and Bucky, and more than once it had been them that kept her going for so long. Even with Steve back, Beth would never forget the pair that had refused to listen whenever she announced she wanted to retire already.

"I'm just leaving Calcutta. Coulson sent me to retrieve Dr Banner and I'm waiting for our pickup."

Beth nodded, even though Natasha couldn't see her. Looking around to ensure nobody was around, she lowered her voice, all traces of lightheartedness gone.

"We're going to get Clint back, Nat."

There was a pregnant pause. When she replied, Natasha's voice was thick with emotion, letting Beth know just how afraid she was for her best friend.

"I hope so."

The sound of a jet came over the speaker and they ended the call so Natasha could get back to the Helicarrier. Beth slid her cell back into her pocket with a sigh, knowing this was becoming a real shit storm.

Steve greeted her as she walked into the apartment a few moments later and for the first time in years, she was terrified. It hadn't even been a month and yet her brother was already being bought into a life-threatening situation. She couldn't bare the thought of losing him again, but she also knew all too well that he'd never willingly stay behind. Pushing the fear aside for now, she nudged off her shoes and nodded to the file in his hand.

"I see you found the debriefing packet."

"Yeah. It's a lot to take in, but I get the gist. You're part of this 'Avengers Initiative'?" he asked as she stepped into the kitchen to make some coffee they both desperately needed.

"I am. Fury wanted someone who not only knew how to run special ops, but also who could lead the world's scariest and most dangerous people as a team. I qualified on the special ops from the war and being on your team. As for the leadership, I already have friendships or experience with the majority of the members. Fury said it wasn't a tough decision, though I'm still not sure I'm the right choice."

Just as he thought he couldn't be more surprised by his sister, there she was doing it again. She grinned at his dumbfounded expression, sliding him a mug of coffee as he processed the information.

"I know. It's a weird feeling, especially when you and Bucky weren't there. At least I have you on my side now, if no-one else. Hell, I'd be happy for you to take charge."

He shook his head, flipping open the packet Nick gave him once more to look at Beth's profile at the top of the pile.

"Nah. Like you said, you already know them. They'll probably listen to you. Besides, I kinda want to see you in action."

Beth snorted, thinking of Tony Stark in particular. The man was so like his father, even if he did try to argue he was nothing like the older man. It also meant he was the one most likely to make her want to start shooting something.

"I doubt it, but I'm still glad Fury's bought you in. We'll need you." she admitted, not too proud to admit that she wanted him with her.

He nodded solemnly and pushed the file aside, deciding to read it properly later. When Beth moved to join him at the table, he reached into one of the drawers of the cabinet beside him and pulled out a different folder, turning it for her to see. Her eyes held a pain to them as she looked down at Colonel Phillip's face, the red letters announcing him deceased glaring up at her. Steve studied her closely, not wanting this conversation, but also not wanting to start working for SHIELD until he knew about his past.

"I know it's hard, but I want to know about everyone. Who's alive and who isn't. I don't need details; I just want to know about my old team before I start working with a new one."

Beth sighed at the pleading look he gave and hugged her mug against her chest before answering.

"The Colonel died ten years after the war thanks to a heart attack. Falsworth went in the 80s with cancer, Morita died a couple of years ago, also of cancer, and Howard...he died in a car accident in the 90s. Everyone else is alive and mostly well, though Dum Dum has a severe heart disease and Peggy has early onset dementia. She's doing okay, but she is in a care home as she was starting to do little things that could have caused serious harm."

She reached for his hand, seeing his expression cloud over with sadness at the news of each of his friends, then well at the news of Peggy. He hadn't failed to notice the hitch at Howard's death, but the happiness that Peggy was alive and sadness of her condition overrode any other thoughts. Though he was upset to know she would lose her memories, he couldn't help but be glad she was alive. Maybe they could have that dance after all, or at least, they could have the closure they never got the chance to have.

"On a more positive note, Denier is doing really well and has moved back to France, and Jones is still going strong. Ninety years old and the guy still goes for a jog every morning, although he only makes it to the end of the street now before he has to walk. They're all absolutely overjoyed to know you're back. I was bombarded with calls and have had to promise that we'll visit them all once you're settled." She chuckled.

He couldn't help but join in with her, pleased to hear the guys were still as he remembered. When they sobered, Beth's phone bleeped. She looked at the screen to see they were being picked up in two hours.

"Well, we'd better gear up. Fury's organised transport for us."

Steve moved to his room, throwing some clothing and toiletries into his bag. when he returned, Beth was waiting for him, her bags ready to go. The drive to SHIELD was silent, the pair each thinking about what was to come. They were greeted by Coulson, and Beth found herself smirking as he all but fell over in his awe struck state. Chuckling, she patted Steve on the shoulder.

"Steve, Phil. Phil, Steve."

She then reached up to whisper in her brother's ear.

"He is a huge fan of yours, so I apologise for any awkwardness."

"It can't be that bad, right?" he asked her as she began walking towards the jet.

The sound of laughter followed behind her as she entered the plane.


	6. Meetings and Greetings

_I sincerely hope people are still enjoying the series, as there seems to have been a lot less viewers in the past couple of updates. Please let me know if there's anything I can do,, such as more flashbacks, less following of the film etc as I'm always happy to adjust to the reader's preferences!_

 _ **May 2**_ _ **nd**_ _ **2012, Somewhere above the Atlantic. 19:00.**_

The trip to the Helicarrier was…interesting, to put it lightly. Between explaining who Stephen Hawking was to the fact Coulson couldn't keep his eyes away from an embarrassed Steve, there was no end of entertainment for Beth. Still smirking as they exited the plane, she deftly dodged an elbow to the ribs from her brother before making her way over to Fury. The director saw the amusement on Beth's face along with awe on Coulson's and the frustration on Steve's, immediately putting two and two together. Though his face didn't change, there was a glint of humour in his visible eye that Beth didn't fail to notice.

"Romanoff will be here in a second." he informed the blonde woman.

All laughter evaporated from her face and she stood straighter. No more words were spoken as Fury made his way back to the bridge and Beth returned to Steve's side, her demeanour far more subdued than it had been. Steve noticed the difference immediately,but before he had chance to ask, another woman appeared alongside them. From the files, he knew her to be Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Beth's gaze met Natasha's, but the older woman gave a sharp jerk of her head before the blonde could open her mouth. Understanding, Beth inclined her own, a frown marring her features. Seeing the interaction, Steve frowned, immediately taking a dislike to the agent.

"Captain Rogers, agent Romanoff." Came Coulson's voice in introduction.

His mother's voice came to mind, reminding him to watch his manners. Though he wanted to rebuff her, his upbringing won out and he found himself responding.

"Ma'am." He greeted.

"Hi." The agent replied, voice as cool as her expression.

Wondering how his sister could be friends with someone seemingly so detached from emotion, the Captain instead turned his focus to the man he could see spinning around in confusion at the bustling around him.

"Dr Banner." He called, sympathising with the gentle looking doctor whose expression screamed he wanted to be anywhere but there.

Looking relieved that someone had called him, Dr Bruce Banner made his way to the small group and shook Steve's hand. Though seeming sceptical at first, Beth smiled as her brother's honesty put the other man at ease. After introducing herself to the doctor, Beth stood next to Natasha as the two men moved to peer over the side of the Helicarrier.

"You okay?" Beth asked the older woman quietly.

"I will when you stop asking me."

"Oh."

Trying not to let any hurt show through her voice or face, Beth turned her attention back to her brother. Beside her, Natasha sighed.

"I just want him to be safe."

"I know. Me too."

And that was that, everything back to normal between the two women as Steve and Bruce followed them into the control room. Beth kept her eyes on Steve, chuckling as she watched him draw out a note from his wallet and hand it over to the director. He shot her a stern look, but she simply shrugged and lowered herself into one of the black leather chairs, a smirk still in place. As Natasha led Bruce to the lab he would be working in, Fury turned his attention to Beth.

"We have a uniform for you to wear. It's with the others."

Beth's eyes narrowed and she leaned forward so her arms were propped on the table in front of her.

"I have a uniform. The same one I've worn every mission since I joined SHIELD sixty years ago, Nick." she replied, her voice sending a shiver up Steve's back,leaving him wondering, not for the first time, if the sister he knew as a young man was still there somewhere.

Knowing better than to argue, Fury simply gave a reluctant nod. She sat back once more, a triumphant smile in place as the older man simply shrugged and tossed her a communication earpiece. Steve, having heard the conversation, moved to stand next to her with a questioning look.

"He's been trying to get me to wear the same uniform as Nat for years now. Like I said, I have my own uniform that means too much to me to change."

Steve gave her an understanding smile and patted her shoulder. Noticing a familiar face across the room, she gave her sibling a brief smile before sliding out of her chair to make her way over to the agent currently working on one of the computers.

"Hey Jasper. Is that Loki?" she asked, eyeing up the dark, greasy-haired male on the screen that she already wanted to punch in the face.

"Hey kid. Yeah, it is."

It was a running joke that Jasper Sitwell had always called her a kid despite the reality that she was in fact decades older than him. She liked the other agent, though he did have an arrogance about him that sometimes annoyed her. Still, they had a similar sense of humour, which was why she found herself remaining friendly with him.

"He looks like a creep instead of a God, huh?" the agent asked.

Beth snorted in amusement.

"Funny, that's what I was thinking."

The pair laughed and Beth said farewell so he could return to his job. She was smiling as she made her way to the lab, Bruce already glued to one of the screens in the room. The scientist looked up and gave a soft smile as she made her way over to him.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay with being here." She asked him, keeping her tone light.

"Not really, but as it's been pointed out a few times, once the cube is found, I can go."

Beth barely managed to refrain from asking where he would go, well aware it would likely force him to stop talking to her, so she settled for another tactic.

"I've got your back. Should Fury try to stop you, let me know and I'll keep him busy."

His gaze softened as he realised she truly was on his side and wasn't using him in any way. He sensed she had an understanding of his situation, but didn't probe in case it made her defensive when he needed someone to put his trust into.

"Thank you."

She opened her mouth to speak again, only for Fury's voice to enter her earpiece instead.

"We've found Loki. Suit up, you're heading out with Romanoff and Rogers."

"Got it." She confirmed and ran out of the lab with an apologetic smile for the scientist.

She was the first to arrive in the changing area and made quick work of getting in to her uniform. When she stepped out, Steve was standing in front of the glass container holding his own outfit, his back to her. Hearing the door shut, he turned, eyes widening when he took in his sister's clothes for the first time. There was only one word he could think of to describe her at that moment; Lethal. She'd forced her hair into a braid, her bangs pushed off her face with some hair grips. She wore black combat pants and boots, both with scuffs and stains that told him they were well used, but the thing that made him stare was her jacket; the design similar to the combat jacket he wore to rescue the 107th, but in the navy blue shade mirroring the jacket worn by Bucky when he fought in the Howling Commandos. It was in an almost perfect condition, showing she cared a lot more about the upkeep of it than the rest of her uniform. A pocket was situated directly above her heart and when he looked more closely, he noticed a small patch sewn on to it, the pattern matching the one of his shield. Somehow, she'd managed to combine elements of himself and Bucky into her uniform, yet still manage to make it her own in terms of the actual fit and design.

Beth could see the raw emotion on her brother's face, bringing tears to her own eyes. Wordlessly, she embraced him, squeezing tightly when she felt his shaking breath on her hair.

"I knew I couldn't fight without you two, so Howard designed this for me to honour you both and give me the feeling that you were there with me still. He was right."

For a second, Steve's arms tightened and she smiled into his chest. When they parted, both of them had glassy eyes. Beth looked down at the fabric in her brother's hands and raised her eyebrow.

"Please tell me that's not your uniform. Actually, please do, because I need a laugh right now."

The look on Steve's face confirmed that the vivid blue was indeed the uniform he would be wearing and she broke into peals of laughter, all traces of sadness from a moment ago vanishing. Steve brushed past her as she gasped for breath, tears leaking from her eyes when he returned a moment later and she broke into a second bout of hysterics.

"Well that's a bit…vibrant." She finally gasped out, once she was able to catch her breath.

"Shut up." He grumbled, his skin quickly turning a shade that rivalled tomatoes.

Beth was still giggling as they took their seats on the small plane and Nat couldn't help but give her friend a surprised look. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen her so happy, but even then, she'd never looked quite so carefree. It was a shock to the assassin, but it also made her smile inside as she'd always sensed Beth hadn't always been as guarded as she portrayed.

They rode to Germany in silence and as they approached Stuttgart, Beth stood with Steve to face Loki. Steve caught her gaze, his mouth thinning. Knowing that particular expression all too well, Beth rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll keep out of it this time."

Giving her a look of gratitude, Steve left the plane and Beth watched on as he began fighting Loki, her hand clamped in a death grip on the back of Nat's chair. Though composed, the spy flashed her friend a concerned look.

"I should be down there." She murmured, watching as Steve was knocked to the ground.

She continued viewing the fight, until it became clear that Loki had the advantage. With a growl, she wrenched herself away and began walking to the exit of the plane, when Nat called out to her. Pausing briefly, she looked over at the assassin, but before the redhead could speak, the sound of AC/DC came over the intercom, startling both women.

"Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?"

The sound of Tony Stark's voice both relieved and amused Beth and she sank back against the wall as he helped Steve apprehend Loki. Within minutes, the hatch was opened and Steve and Tony came in, a handcuffed Loki in tow. The moment the billionaire's eyes landed on Beth, he grinned widely and swept her into a tight hug.

"Aunt Beth!"

Chuckling, she returned the embrace, aware of the shocked expressions on the faces of her friend and brother. When he released her, she kissed his cheek, smiling warmly at him. Their last encounter hadn't ended with them on good terms. It more than pleased her to see he'd clearly left that behind him.

"Aunt Beth?"

She looked up at her brother and nodded, trying to ignore the piercing blue eyes staring at her from the corner of the room.

"Yeah. I stuck around with Howard and the others, remember? Growing up, Tony knew me as Aunt Beth and even after he learned the truth, he never dropped it. I'm also his godmother, officially."

Steve shook his head in bemusement before turning his attention to Nat, asking her how long it would take to reach the Helicarrier. As Tony moved to stand beside Steve, Beth took the moment to take in their 'guest' properly, repressing a shudder as her gaze met his own unblinking one. He smirked at her, the effect like ice being shoved down her back.

"Another soldier out of time I see." He mocked, his voice both smooth and gentle, surprising Beth.

"Hey, you don't get to talk to her." Steve all but growled, moving to stand protectively in front of his sister.

"Of course not." Loki replied, voice heavy with sarcasm as he leaned to one side and winked at Beth.

Her eyes narrowed and she found herself moving closer to Steve, unaware of her actions until she brushed the material of his uniform.

"Can I punch him?" she asked the Captain.

"Not yet."

She huffed and shook her head, wishing Loki would stop pinning her with his unsettling gaze.

"Pity. It'd be nice to wipe that look off his face."

As if on cue, there was a sudden flash of lightning and the smugness slipped off their prisoner's face. As Beth hurried over to Nat to see where it came from, Steve tuned his attention to a nervous looking Loki.

"You afraid of a little thunder?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically taunting.

"I'm not awfully fond of what follows." The trickster confessed, growing more nervous by the second.

Before she could ask what followed, the back of the plane opened and she found herself hanging on to Nat's chair as a man she briefly recognised pulled Loki to his feet and out of the plane.

"Crap!" she yelled, as she realised the man was familiar because she had met him before.

Thor.


	7. New Mexico

_Wow, you guys! I've been completely overwhelmed by your reviews! I'm so happy that people have commented about Beth's character development as I was worried I'd turned her a bit too different to the first story! I'm also thrilled that you all think I've done a good job fitting her into the movies._

 _As for you, **WriterGirl1198** , I was on break at work when I read your review and had to step outside for a few seconds as I seemed to have developed an allergy to the cat that made my eyes a bit watery :P. Seriously though, thank you. Saying you're with this series till the end of the line made me feel so humbled and I can't thank you enough. Reviews like yours really help a person with severe anxiety :) This chapter's for you._

 _As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed- I will try to reply to you all within the next few days!_

 _..._

 _ **June 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **, 2011. Roswell, New Mexico.**_

Beth was aware there was an intruder even before the alarms began screaming. Something about the day felt off to her and the storm that seemed to appear over the desert as it grew dark only fuelled that feeling.

"Hey Clint, you ever get the feeling that something's about to happen?" she asked her partner.

He paused, the arrow he was sharpening resting gently on his leg as his eyes met her own.

"All the time when I'm with you."

She shoved him, laughing as his seat toppled over, sending the agent sprawling to the ground. He threw a fistful of sand halfheartedly her way before standing to brush himself down. Reaching to pick up his chair, he let out a pitiful sound, turning back to Beth to reveal the arrow he'd been tending to had snapped in half.

"Oops?" she defended, holding back more laughter at the look on his face so reminiscent of his four-year-old daughter Lila when she broke a toy.

"You owe me an arrow." He grumbled as he tossed the now-useless piece of weaponry aside.

"It's not like you don't own fifty thousand more." She muttered back.

"Only forty-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine now."

She sniggered and they fell into a companionable silence as the storm ahead grew closer. Beth pulled at the neck of her shirt. Clearly, even in the dessert, rain did nothing to stop the heat. If anything, it was feeling warmer as the air grew heavier.

"So, why did you ask me that anyway?" Clint asked a few moments later as they moved into one of the tents and out of the rain, despite Beth's protests that she was finally beginning to cool down a little.

Overhead, the sirens began blaring and she groaned, even as she reached into her bag for her rifle.

"That would be why. I had a feeling, and guess what? It was right."

He didn't reply, but he didn't have to. Over the years he'd known her, he'd learned to trust her instincts as she'd only been wrong once. Considering that once it was because she thought someone was watching them when there was definitely nobody around, he didn't count it as a fail. They waited a few moments, until Coulson instructed them to get up high and neutralise the threat on his signal. Still not knowing what the actual threat was, Beth followed Clint into the metal platform and peered into the lamp-lit tunnels as he raised them to see a man that was dwarfing even their toughest soldier make his way through them, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"Barton, speak to me." came Coulson's voice over the radio.

Clint readied his bow, his expression turning to the calm, impassive one that Beth still hated to see. He was such a happy, cheerful man; the dead expression when he killed seemed wrong on him. Beth chose to crouch, her rifle resting on the bar in front of her as she readied her sights.

"Want me to slow him down sir, or are you sending in more people for him to beat up?" he asked.

Beth snorted, relieved that he wasn't fully in what she'd teasingly dubbed his 'assassin mode'. Had he been, there would have been no teasing, only blood. When Coulson told them to wait, he relaxed his arm slightly, but Beth remained in place with her finger pressed lightly on the trigger. As the intruder took down Jones, who was easily the most powerful fighter in SHIELD behind Beth, Clint let out an impressed whistle and though she was still watching the guy through her sights, even she had to admit he had a skill unlike any she'd seen before. She didn't think Steve would have been able to take out as many agents as quickly and efficiently as this guy was.

"The guy makes us look like amateurs."

She nodded in agreement to her partner's statement, wishing Nat was here to see this, but the redhead was currently out in California. From the rumours and murmurings around the agents, something was happening there regarding Iron man, and Nat was the one chosen to go undercover and find out what was going on. Beth had wanted to volunteer, but as Tony knew who she was and who she worked for, the whole undercover thing would have been null and void.

"Makes me glad I'm up here." She admitted, more than a little unnerved as he actually slammed another agent through the plastic of the tunnels to the rain outside.

Clint snorted and they continued to wait for the signal to fire, however the more Beth watched, the more she could see something within the strange man that resonated within her. He wasn't fighting to kill, only to disable. There was a wild desperation to his gaze, growing more obvious the closer he drew to the odd hammer in the middle of their 'fortress of plastic wrap' as Clint had dubbed it earlier. He wasn't fighting rationally, this was a man who was at the end of his hope, making a last ditch attempt to regain it again. She found herself moving her finger away from the trigger, suddenly reluctant to shoot him and as he reached the last stage before the hammer, she even found herself mentally spurring him on, hoping he would succeed. There had to be something more to him and his actions and she suddenly found herself eager to know his story. Clint's voice spoke, jerking her from her thoughts with a jump.

"You better call it Couslon, 'cause I'm starting to really root for this guy."

"I'm way beyond starting." Beth chimed, making her partner grin.

They both grew sombre as the intruder tore down the plastic separating him from the hammer and Clint's expression finally turned cold, his voice changing to match.

"Last chance sir."

"Wait. I wanna see this"

Beth blew out a breath she was unaware of holding and gladly clicked the safety on before placing her rifle on the ground beside her. Clint wasn't yet ready to lower his own weapon, untrusting of the man who'd taken down a large number of agents in record time. He wasn't afraid to admit that Beth could easily crush him if she truly wanted,and the fact she had all but admitted the guy could have taken her out when she agreed with his earlier comment about looking like amateurs put him more on edge than usual. Beth couldn't tear her eyes away as the man grasped the hammer and used all his force to lift it, with no success. The last shred of hope left his eyes and he sank to the floor with a cry, the brokenness of his expression exuding the defeat of a man who'd just lost everything. Beth felt a lump in her throat at the sight, knowing herself how it felt to lose the last remaining hope you had left, and at that moment she just wanted to help the man as he was cuffed without a fight and taken away.

"What do you think that was about?" Clint asked her as he finally lowered his weapon, his usual casualness snapping back into place now there was no longer a threat.

Silence. Glancing down, his eyes shifted to surprise to see Beth's eyes glazed over, a haunted pain swimming in the azure depths that unsettled him. He knew it stemmed back almost 70 years, and clearly something about what they had just witnessed had bought it back to the surface. Without a word, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed, letting her know in his own way that he was there for her. It seemed to snap her out of her trance and she looked up at him with a small, yet thankful, smile.

"You okay?" he asked gently, aware from experience that when she was like this, she could turn either volatile or inconsolable.

She nodded, reaching out for her rifle in a gesture he'd long established was her way of seeking comfort. The moment her hand connected with the wood, a calm took over her and she gave him another smile, this time reaching her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Awesome. Let's get out of this rain, I think my boots are full of water."

She rolled her eyes and as they dropped to the ground, she hopped out of the cage, expecting Coulson to be in with their prisoner. Instead, the agent was waiting for them, worry in his eyes that put Beth on edge.

"We have orders from Fury. I'm staying to oversee things here. Barton, we need you up in Harlem as there's a situation involving the Hulk happening. Rogers, Romanoff needs some back up and requested you because of your connections with Tony Stark."

She didn't argue that Tony made it clear twenty years ago that he hated her and never wanted to see her again, nor did she protest against being dragged away from the man she was so intrigued about. Instead, she simply nodded and turned to face Clint.

"Want to drop me off in California before you head to New York?"


	8. Let's Do Some Science!

_Once again you're all amazing! Thank you so much for your reviews!_

 _I'm thinking there's probably about another 10-15 chapters to this story, which will be around 23 chapters when done. Most are written, so they will be uploaded as and when I remember!_

 _Love you all :)_

 _ **...**_

 _ **May 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **, 2012. Black Forest, Germany. 23:45.**_

Beth stayed on the plane as Tony and Steve jumped after Thor and Loki, talking frantically on the radio with Fury. Nat began to lower the plane, searching for the small group, to no avail. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light directly below and they were able to land in a small patch that used to be forest and was now a wide open expanse of torn up conifers. Beth whistled as she observed the damage.

"You guys really went to town."

Holding back a laugh, Tony squeezed her shoulder before declaring he would meet them back on the Helicarrier and flying away. Beth shook her head as Loki was loaded back on to the plane, Thor and Steve closely behind. Once the door was shut and their prisoner secure, Steve turned to Thor and extended his hand. Beth sniggered as the bigger male simply stared at the appendage in confusion and after a few seconds, the hand was lowered once more.

"I'm Steve Rogers." he introduced.

"I am Thor, son of Odin." The God replied.

Beth stepped forwards and smiled at Thor.

"Hi. We never met face to face, but I was one of the agents in New Mexico last year. Beth Rogers."

"Lady Rogers, it is a pleasure. Are you a relation of his?" he asked, indicating to Steve after noticing the similarities between the pair.

"He's my brother. We should arrive at our headquarters soon, where our Director will provide more information."

He nodded his thanks and moved to stand closer to Loki so he could keep a closer eye on the other male. Beth sat on the bench opposite, shortly joined by her brother.

"So, you knew about these guys before?" he asked her, indicating to the two Gods as he tried to wrap his mind around the whole concept.

"Yeah, but with everything else going on and helping you settle in to the twenty-first century, I forgot about it."

He nudged, her, silently letting her know he didn't blame her for forgetting and she smiled as she relaxed against him. Even though it had been a few weeks since their reunion, she couldn't help but touch or lean against him any time she was near, as if she was still having to convince herself he was real. Not that he would ever complain; after all, he did the same thing to her whenever he could. It was in silence that they landed and Loki walked off with an armed unit guarding him. Beth let out a relieved breath she wasn't even aware she'd been holding as the cool gaze the God had pinned her with finally left. She ignored her brother's glance as she made her way back to the control room, the small group following her lead as she took a seat at the table. A moment later, they were joined by a flustered Bruce and Beth wandered if he too had experienced Loki's stare, as the scientist looked how she had felt the whole trip back.

It wasn't long before an image of the containment unit flashed up on one of the screens in front of them, showing Loki being locked up in it. As Fury proceeded to tell the God about the situation he was in, Beth took the opportunity to look closer at Thor. The God looked torn between anger and sorrow as he gazed at his brother, and Beth felt her heart clench for the man. As if he noticed her gaze, his eyes connected with her own and she sent him what she hoped was a sympathetic smile. He didn't return the expression, but his eyes softened before returning to the screen.

"He really grows on you, doesn't he?" Bruce asked as the screen faded to black.

Already amused by Fury's comment about real power wanting a magazine, Beth snorted, deciding she liked the scientist more.

"Loki's gonna drag this out." Steve said, casting his sister a warning glance. "So…Thor, what's his play?"

"He has an army." The God spoke, sounding nervous. "called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard nor of any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth in return, I suspect, for the tesseract."

"An army. From outer space."

Steve's eyes met Beth's and he immediately wished he could transport her somewhere safe, away from what was likely to be the biggest battle they'd ever encountered. From the look she flashed him though, he knew that wasn't happening any time soon and settled for looking back at Thor. Beth momentarily zoned out, smirking to herself at Thor's admission that Loki was adopted. Her thoughts whirred, drawing her attention from the conversation once more, until she heard a familiar voice echo in the corridor behind her. ' _This could be interesting'_ she mused.

"No hard feelings point break. You've got a mean swing." Tony commented, patting Thor on the arm.

' _Correction; this could be VERY interesting'_

She continued to watch in amusement as Thor flashed Tony a bewildered look. The billionaire didn't seem to notice as he made his way over to the screens in front of them, though Beth's sharp eyesight caught him attach something to the control panel. One golden eyebrow raised as she met Tony's gaze and he at least had the decency to look somewhat chastised, as if he'd been with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. The look he flashed said he would explain later, and from the crease in Beth's forehead, her message back was clear: _you'd better._

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Hill asked him, the agent's tone and composure telling Beth she was moments away from slapping the smug look off of Tony's face.

"Last night. The packet. Selvig's notes. The extraction theory papers? Am I the only one who did the reading?"

Beth sneaked a glance at the others to see varied looks of shame and confusion cross their faces. Nat, it was clear, had not done the reading and didn't give two shits about it. Steve, she knew had done as much as he could understand, which had been just enough to get the bare bones of the team members, definitely not enough to understand the complex theories of science. Beth had poured over the theories, already knowing about the team members, however even with the science background she had, she'd only just managed to make sense of it. That sense did help her follow Bruce and Tony's conversation up until they began to discuss heavy ion fusion, which is where they lost her and her expression turned as stumped as the rest of them. She sighed as Tony made the already uncomfortable Bruce even more uncomfortable, but her words were cut off with the entrance of Fury.

"Dr Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him."

Beth took the opportunity to slide out of her chair and stand next to Steve, having sensed his increasing nerves throughout the conversation as jargon after jargon was spoken that he had no understanding off. The moment her hip pressed against his shoulder, she felt him relax. It also helped with Fury's use of the term flying monkeys, the reference to the Wizard of Oz something Steve actually knew, as he proudly announced to the whole room. Beth had to fight a laugh as his eyes lit up, only the sympathy for how lost he must be feeling holding her back.

"Hey, Aunt Beth? you feel up for playing with some science?" Tony called out as he and Bruce began to make their way to the lab.

Echoing the reactions from the ship, Fury, Hill, Bruce and Coulson gave looks of surprise and Beth gave an irritated huff.

"I'm his godmother. Make sure everyone who needs to know does know because I'm really not in the mood to explain again."

Once settled in the lab, Tony, uncaring that Bruce could hear, took hold of Beth's arm.

"I just wanted to apologise. Not my usual half-assed apology where I don't care, but an actual, honest to god one. What I said at mom and dad's funeral…I shouldn't have. I know you weren't friends for the money. I was hurt and you were the one I targeted. I'm sorry."

There were a few seconds of silence as Beth processed the fact that Tony Stark of all people had just given her a genuine, heartfelt apology. She was even tempted to look outside for any pigs, but decided against it in the end. She gave Tony a warm smile and without warning, put her arms round him. She expected to be pushed away but for her second shock of the day, he returned the embrace, pulling her closer to him as he planted a chaste kiss to her head.

"Thank you." He whispered, so only she would here.

She pulled away with a smile, discreetly wiping at her eyes as she turned to face the computer screen behind her.

"So, Bruce, where do we start?" she asked, pulling herself back to the present matter at hand.

The group fell into a peaceful routine as Beth scanned one screen for any signals indicative of the tesseract whilst Tony and Bruce input numerous data and equations onto their own screens. Beth waited for a moment when Bruce excused himself to go to the bathroom before she turned to face Tony. He froze, his hand halfway in the air as he reached for one of the packs of blueberries he'd found who-knows where. The look in her eyes always had a way to disconcert him and even though he was physically now almost twenty years older than her, it still managed to give him shudders.

"I'm assuming you're hacking SHIELDs files, but why?" she asked.

He took a breath, not sure if she would be happy with his reply. He was saved as Bruce re-entered, but Beth simply moved closer to him as the other man re-took his position by Loki's sceptre and began scanning it with a Geiger counter.

"Tony…" she warned.

"The gamma rays are consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract." Bruce spoke, unknowingly cutting Beth off.

Wanting to growl with frustration, Beth instead settled for sitting herself back down on her chair, watching the pair as they lost her once more to the science jargon. She kept her eyes closely on Tony, almost missing the door slide open behind her. She glanced behind her to smile at Steve, only to frown instead at the unmistakable sound of an electric probe going off, followed in short succession by a loud "ow!" from Bruce.

"Hey! Are you nuts?" Steve asked, immediately on the defensive.

Had the tone been lighter, Beth would've asked her brother why he was still wearing his uniform when they'd been back over an hour. Then again, she was still wearing most of hers, her jacket placed carefully on the back of the chair she was occupying, leaving her in her white vest top beneath. She had an excuse, but Steve didn't. unless of course, he had tried and the outfit was stuck on. The thought had her fighting a smirk as she watched two men she cared about face off. She perked up when the conversation steered towards Fury, Beth realising she was about to find out what Tony had been trying to avoid saying. From the glance he sent her as he finally picked up his blueberries, he still didn't want her to know. It stung, but she also understood. After all, she did work directly below Nick.

"Captain, he's _the_ spy. His secrets have secrets. It's bugging him too, isn't it?" he probed, turning to Bruce who immediately took on the features of a deer caught in headlights.

"Uhhhh, I just want to finish my work here, and…"

"Doctor?"

"Bruce?"

Both siblings addressing him at the same time seemed to be the push Bruce needed to answer.

"A warm light for all mankind. Loki's jab at Fury about the cube."

"I heard it."

"Well, I think that was meant for you." He continued, pointing at Tony, who responded by holding out the blueberries to the scientist. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower, it was still all over the news."

"The Stark tower? That big, ugly…building in New York?"

Beth couldn't help the chuckle as Steve remembered exactly who he was talking to, making him fumble his words. He cast her a sharp look and she simply toned it to a smile as she accepted the food offering Tony was now giving her.

"It's powered by an arc reactor, self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?"

"And it's just the prototype. I'm kinda the only name in clean energy right now. Is what he's getting at." Tony responded.

"so, why didn't SHIELD bring him in on the tesseract project? I mean what were they doing in the energy business in the first place?"

As Tony revealed his decryption programme to a stunned Steve and Bruce, Beth mulled their words over in her head. It wasn't just Tony they'd left out; she'd had no knowledge of the project either. An uneasy feeling in her stomach intensified, growing stronger the more she realised the men were more than likely on the right track. She was as curious as the rest of them about the answer, but she was also torn by the fact Nick was one of the few people she actually trusted. The tension in the room suddenly intensified and Beth looked up in time to see Steve with one of the most pissed off looks she'd ever witnessed on him before. As he left the room, telling the two men to just find the cube, she muttered a quick "I'll be back" over her shoulder before jogging after him, the door sliding shut behind her with an almost silent whoosh.


	9. Bickering Solves Nothing

_Hey everyone! Thank you again for the reviews, adds and favourites!_

 _I've looked at the rest of the story, and at first I was going to just follow the film and move on to the next story, but I've decided instead that I'm going to follow Steve's first year in the 21st century. It means I'll probably end up with around 20-25 chapters instead of the 15 or so originally planes. I hope you enjoy! Alternatively, I can always end it with the end of the avengers and make the next story in the series following his first year back. Let me know what you prefer!_

 _..._

 _ **May 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012\. 4am. Corridor of the Helicarrier.**_

It wasn't hard to follow Steve; his uniform could easily be spotted from a mile away. He was aware he was being followed and who by, but didn't speak until they'd turned down a corridor void of other people.

"What's the deal with you and Tony? I get he's different to you and a bit of an ass, but he's not the enemy here." Beth spoke as soon as she knew they couldn't be heard.

He didn't answer. Beth stepped closer to him, surprised to see him frown at her, his eyes swimming with barely suppressed anger.

"Tell me you weren't involved in this project. **T** **ell me** you have no clue what's going on."

His words came out harsher than expected and he immediately wished he could take them back as Beth looked at him as though he'd slapped her. He may as well have from the way she seemed to curl in on herself, but in a flash, she was standing straight again, her hands slamming against his chest in retaliation.

"How could you even ask me that, you jerk!? After the Hell we went through in the war, do you honestly think I would have let them get this far with a project like this? If I knew they had it, I would have stolen the cube myself and put it back in the dammed ocean!"

Relief and guilt flooded through him and he sagged, giving his sister the best puppy-dog eyed impression he could muster. The corners of her mouth twitched in response, the young woman never able to resist when he gave her that look.

"Fine, apology accepted. You're still a punk, but a forgiven one. Now, why are we here?" she asked, realising Steve had deliberately led them into one of the utility corridors.

He pointed to the door he was standing beside, labelled _Secure Storage 10-C_. Understanding flashed in Beth's eyes and she nodded, watching out for any passers-by as her brother broke open the door using sheer strength alone. As silently as her boots allowed, Beth slipped into the room, Steve sliding the door shut behind them once more. Almost as soon as they were in the room, Beth tapped on Steve's shoulder, alerting him to the agents in the room next to them, their voices bouncing around the place. He nodded and pointed up, flinging himself inaudibly up on to the platform above, Beth not-so easily following. He held his hand out as she jumped onto one of the boxes, helping to swing her so she stood next to him. she flashed him a thankful glance, though the part of her that had spent 70 years alone scoffed at the action, knowing that she hadn't needed the assist. She shushed that voice, understanding that the last time he'd seen her, she'd been comparably weak to him and knowing Steve, he'd never get over the instinct to protect her. Even if it bruised her pride a little, she wasn't going to stop him. She indicated to the side she knew contained a number of classified crates and followed behind as they made their way to a safe area away from the voices. The pair stopped beside a series of stacked boxes, hidden away from view.

"They look suspicious at all to you?" Steve murmured.

Beth found herself unable to reply, praying that they were all wrong, that the people she'd fought so hard to help had betrayed them. When the first lid opened, revealing a mask and series of weapons bearing the HYDRA symbol, she choked back a cry, her fist reaching up to her mouth as Steve's head snapped up to her, mirroring her shock.

"I'm okay." she managed to ground out at the concern in his eyes directed at her.

The wobble in her voice did little to satisfy Steve, but he nodded anyway and reached in to take out one of the weapons.

"Come on." He instructed.

She nodded and followed numbly behind as they made their way back to the lab. Her head was spinning; all this time, Fury had been her friend, her mentor. Now, she couldn't see beyond the fact he'd lied to her and was potentially trying to revive HYDRA. It was almost too much to comprehend. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she barely registered the fact it was now light outside as entered the lab. It wasn't until Steve slammed the weapon on one of the desks that she jumped, her head lifting to see Fury in front of her. it took everything she had not to start yelling. Steve's free hand on her arm also helped, his touch anchoring her in place as he spoke.

"Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons." He spat before turning his attention to Tony. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the tesseract. This does not mean…"

"I'm sorry Nick, what were you lying?" Tony interrupted, not about to stand by and watch the director outright lie about something so huge.

"I was wrong, director. The world hasn't changed a bit."

"And I was naïve to believe I could trust you." Beth added, agreeing with her brother.

Natasha and Thor entered the room, Bruce immediately pouncing on Natasha. Considering his earlier reluctance to get involved, Beth couldn't help the spark of interest over the fact it was the redhead who'd made him break his calm. Briefly, she wondered if there was something more between the pair, but she forced the thought away as she focused on the arguments unfolding around her.

"Guys…" she tried to interject, only to be shot down from a sharp glance off Steve.

"Stay out of it Beth." He snapped.

Hurt and anger hit her at once. It wasn't the first time he'd talked to her in such a way, but whether it was from the tension already in the room or the fact she'd ignored it to that point, Beth felt something give way in her, bringing the anger to the surface.

"No, I will not Steve. I'm part of this team and currently am your superior, so I suggest you stay out of it."

"Bang up job you're doing so far of that." Fury quipped in an instant, before Steve had time to react.

"At least I didn't lie to someone on my side for god knows how many years, Nick. Talk about betrayal." She fired back, not missing a beat.

She briefly heard Thor mention something, drawing Fury's attention back to counter the God's statement. Beth returned her focus to Steve, who was now openly glaring at her.

"You need to get over yourself and stop seeing me as the baby sister from 70 years ago. I'm a soldier, just like you, and I'm sick of you continually treating me as something easily broken when I'm anything but."

He gave a deep sigh, his retort stopped as Bruce finally gained the attention of everyone in the room, cutting off all the confrontations.

"What are we, a team? No, we're a combustible mixture that makes chaos. We're a time bomb."

"You need to step away."

Beth let out a groan as Steve and Tony began to bicker once more. She almost jumped in as Tony openly insulted Steve, but a hand signal from Fury had her moving away from the pair. At this rate, she knew it wouldn't be long before she resorted to banging their heads together. At least by standing next to Thor, there was a high probability the Asgardian could grab her before she did indulge the impulse. Everyone fell into stunned silence as Bruce declared he'd tried to kill himself once before. Beth knew more than anyone how that felt and all at once, she felt her anger drain away as sympathy for the scientist took its place. She watched carefully as he slowly backed away, her hand almost unconsciously sliding to the holster on her thigh as his hand reached for the sceptre, Nat and Fury's movements mimicking her own. Finally, he picked it up and she drew the gun, reluctant to turn off the safety.

"Dr Banner. Put down the sceptre." Steve spoke, voice calm once more.

Bruce looked down at the glowing sceptre in shock, completely unaware he'd even lifted it. He regained his composure quickly as the alert sounded, the noise confirming the tesseract had been located.

"Sorry kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all."

 _Thank God for that small miracle_ Beth muttered mentally, her feelings mirrored on the faces of a few of the others as he made his way to the computer. Beth ignored everyone as she watched Bruce's face drop in horror.

"Oh my god…" he murmured.

"What is it?" Beth asked, finding herself edge closer to him from her spot next to Thor.

An explosion tore through the room on the heel of her words. All she saw was blinding fire, before everything went black.


	10. Life and Death

_In today's update, we see a side of Beth I've not yet had chance to show- her ability to take charge of a situation. For me, this chapter is where Beth really shows her development, and I really felt the likeness she has to Steve. I even had to remember at one point that it wasn't Steve's speech I was writing!_

 _We also get to find out Beth's SHIELD code name in this chapter- I really hope you like and approve of the name I chose! It took a lot of planning as I had to other names in mind, but you'll discover in another chapter the reasons why I went with the final option._

 _On with the show!_

 _..._

 _ **May 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012\. Somewhere in the air. 5.15am.**_

It took a few seconds for Beth to realise that she wasn't unconscious. Instead, her vision was blocked by the fabric of Thor's clothing. As she'd been flung, he'd somehow managed to wrap his arms around her, protecting her from the brunt of the impact as they hit the wall behind them. Vaguely, she heard Steve tell Tony to put on his suit, before his voice became louder.

"Beth!"

"I'm okay- go!" she called back as she extracted herself from Thor's arms with a groan. At least her earlier instincts about his reflexes were right, and she was very grateful for that.

Steve vanished out of the lab, all but shoving Tony out the door with him. As orders were fired left, right and centre in her ear, Beth stood up and surveyed the damage in the room, muttering a curse to see the gaping hole in the floor.

"Rogers." Fury's voice said over the comms.

Both Beth and Steve replied, making the director pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Female Rogers. Agent Rogers. Codename: Enigma. **That** Rogers."

"For God's sake, I told you to stop calling me that ten years ago, Nick."

"I don't care. At least I have the right damned Rogers now. You okay to take point so I can focus on keeping us in the air?"

"Yeah. kick some ass."

As Fury gave a noise of acknowledgement and signed off, Beth glanced over at Thor to see a look of contemplation on his face.

"Thanks for grabbing me back there."

The only sign she got that he'd heard was a slight incline of his head, his frown deepening.

"You think this is why Loki didn't seem to mind us taking him?" she asked.

"I don't think. I know." Was his sombre reply.

The sound of a roar erupted through the Helicarrier, and Beth's blood froze.

"Has anyone seen Nat?" she asked over the communications, worry for her friend increasing.

The reply was a barrage of negatives. Her stomach dropped.

"Oh, God."

"We must find them." Thor commented.

Beth gave a sharp nod before switching to the comms once more.

"Right, Steve and Tony focus on that Engine. Thor and I will focus on Nat and the Hulk. Everyone keep your comms on, I want to hear everything."

After the other pair confirmed they'd heard, Beth and Thor jumped into the same hole the other two had been blasted into, Beth worrying her lip as she scouted for the other agent.

"There! Nat!" she shouted as they watched the Hulk slam his hand into the redhead's side, sending her crashing into a wall.

"I'll handle him; you get to her!" Thor called over the roar of the Hulk as he prepared to attack Nat once more.

Beth nodded and raced forward, wincing as Thor connected with Hulk in a sickening thud, both of them sent through a wall and sprawling across the floor. Grateful that the Hulk's attention was diverted, Beth crouched next to Nat, noticing the woman was breathing heavily, pain evident in her features. Beth flicked on her comms to alert the medics, but Nat shook her head, signalling she just needed a time out.

"Hey Enigma." The redhead teased, one eyebrow quirking up in anticipation of the blonde's reaction to the code name even as she gasped for air.

Beth gave a frustrated sigh, blowing her bangs out of her face.

"It's a shame he didn't succeed in knocking the bitch out of you. How badly hurt are you?" she asked, leaving no room for bullshit.

"I'll be okay, just need a minute." Nat replied, voice shaky.

At that moment, Beth overheard Tony and Steve talking about the engine, with Steve worrying about Tony ending up shredded. Frowning, Beth glanced once more at Nat, evaluating her friend before making any decisions.

"Fury, any updates on the Hulk?"

"We have an aircraft about to assist Thor right now." Was the curt reply.

Satisfied that situation was being taken care of, Beth focused on the rest of the team.

"Okay. Nat, take a few to collect yourself. Tony, get the engine going as soon as you can. Steve, cover him until I get there. I'm going to find Clint and try to stop him if I can then head up to you guys."

Immediately, Steve's voice came back to her, pausing her mid-step.

"Has anyone checked on Loki?"

Cursing, Beth swivelled and took off down another corridor, her faith in her brother's ability to keep Tony concrete. It was as she passed the control room that things went haywire once more. A cry from Maria Hill had Beth dropping to the ground as a second explosion sounded, sending shrapnel showering down on her back. She hissed as a piece of metal sliced through her pant leg. A quick glance confirmed that it was only a flesh wound, so she scrambled to her feet and hid in a crevice in time to avoid being shot by oncoming enemies. To her side, she could hear shots and shouts from Fury and Hill. One shot bounced of the metal above her head and she yelped.

"Nick, if you could please refrain from shooting at me, I would be very appreciative!" she called out, ducking to shoot down another enemy.

He didn't reply, but the bullets ceased firing her direction, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief. She took down the last two soldiers before continuing on to make sure Loki was still in place. She was almost at the room when the Helicarrier suddenly jerked, almost knocking her down.

"Engine one has now been shut down." a voice said over the speakers.

"Sir, we've lost all power in engine one." Came Sitwell's voice in her ear.

"It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?"

Beth was already off like a shot, desperate to reach it before Clint. Nat's voice made her pause for a second, concern taking over.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Yeah. You get to Loki; I'll deal with Clint." Nat confirmed.

"Copy that. Tony, Steve, how's it looking at your end?" she asked on the way, realising the Helicarrier seemed to have stopped descending.

"Your brother likes to take his time, doesn't he?" The billionaire responded, his voice sounding strange.

"I'm literally hanging on a wire in the middle of the sky! I'd like to see you move faster!" Steve yelled back.

She was surprised to find herself grinning, as it sounded like they could really do with help, but it quickly dropped from her face as she entered the detention room in time to see Loki press the button to release the cage he'd been in from the ship. Her eyes widened as she realised Thor was inside.

"No!" she cried, but it was too late. With a shared look of panic from Thor, he was gone.

It was then she noticed Phil on the ground, bleeding heavily from a hole in his chest. At that instant, her surgical training over-rode her military training and she flew over to drop to her knees next to him, not caring about Loki at that moment. Phil looked at her as she ripped his shirt open, a pleading look in his eyes.

"We need to stop him." he whispered as the God mockingly smirked over at them.

"I need to save your life first." She argued.

"It's a pointless endeavour. You should just let him die." Loki tormented.

"You shut your mouth." Beth spat, having to override every muscle in her body as they clenched in readiness to attack the smug looking bastard.

Loki looked stunned by her venom, as if he couldn't comprehend the fact a mortal female had spoken in such a way. Beth didn't care, more focused on her friend than the fact she could be the God's next target if he chose to take offence at her words. As she began trying to stem the bleed, Phil turned his attention back to Loki who had begun walking away, deciding the intrigue he had towards the woman was stronger than the urge to put her in her place. Preferably on her knees at his feet, licking his boots before he slit her throat. _'Later'_ he told himself. He had more pressing matters to attend first.

"You're gonna lose." Phil said, forcing the God to pause and look back.

"Am I?" he asked, his tone amused.

"It's in your nature."

Loki began to walk closer once more, each step mocking the two humans on the floor. Beth swiftly drew her handgun from one of her ankle holsters and raised it towards Loki's head, her other hand still pressed down on the bleeding wound even though she knew deep down it was a losing battle.

"Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

Beth glared at him as he glanced at her with another smirk. It was so tempting to shoot him in the face, but a cough from Phil had more blood escaping his chest, oozing out over her hand. She sucked in a breath, torn between keeping the gun on Loki and dropping it to focus on Phil.

"You lack conviction." Phil replied, voice getting weaker.

Another breath pushing more thick, warm blood out of his body. The gun in Beth's hand dropped so she could try and find where the major damage was. Screw Loki.

"I don't think that I..."

A blast sounded, accompanied by flash of bright light that had Beth wincing, and Loki was sent through the wall of the detainment centre.

"So that's what it does." Coulson spoke, voice even weaker than before.

His hand fell limply to his side and Beth found herself blinking back tears as his eyes started to grow unfocused.

"Hey, come on Phil. You'll be okay."

"No I won't. You will, though. Now you have Steve. You're smiling again." he breathed.

She felt a sob building up as she fought to save him, but with no supplies or backup, she knew it was already too late. In her ear, she could hear yells from Tony and Steve and the cheer as they managed to fix the engine, but she didn't care. A movement beside her alerted her to Fury's arrival. The director dropped next to her, taking the weapon from Phil as Phil apologised.

"Just stay awake."

He looked over at Beth, seeing the tension of her lips and bloodshot eyes. It made his heart clench, but he forced it aside to keep the dying agent conscious a little while longer. The medics were almost there.

"No, I'm clocking out here."

"It's not an option."

Phil flashed a glance at Beth, nodding to signal she could stop. He'd accepted his fate. It took all her willpower to pull her hands away, tears falling freely as he spoke once more to Fury.

"It's okay, boss. This was never gonna work, if they didn't have something to…"

A few seconds later, he was gone. Genuine pain coated Fury's face and Beth stepped out of the way as the medics arrived, angry and heartbroken that they were too late. She excused herself before Nick had chance to stop her and made her way down to a quiet section of the ship, unable to hold back her sobs as Fury's voice informed everyone of Coulson's demise. Hearing this, Steve and Tony made their way back to the changing area, Steve simply stripping the top half of his uniform off, changing into a long sleeved shirt of a similar colour while Tony stepped out of his Iron Man suit. The pair never said a word to each other and when Fury walked in, the air could be cut with a knife.

"We need to talk." He said, ignoring the looks the men sent him as he swept back out of the room before following him.

Steve didn't fail to notice that he and Tony were the only ones at the table, but from the demeanour of the director, he didn't say anything until after Tony abruptly upped and left.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"Thor and Bruce fell from the Helicarrier, so we have no location for them. Natasha is in the infirmary with Barton and I also don't know where Beth is. She was with Coulson and disappeared just after the medics arrived."

Steve sucked in a breath, hearing what the director wasn't saying; that his sister had tried and failed to save Coulson. He gave the older man a nod of acknowledgement before approaching Hill and asking to borrow her earpiece. He hoped Beth was still wearing hers.

"Beth, it's Steve. Where are you?"

Following his words, there was the sound of tapping on glass. He glanced up, seeing Beth standing at the sole surviving window of the lab, a look of pain on her face. Wordlessly, he handed back the earpiece and jogged up to her, scooping her into his arms the moment he entered the lab. She leaned against him, breath and shoulders shaking, but he could tell she wasn't crying. He rubbed the material of her jacket, knowing she would have come to the lab to recover it and been relieved to see it had survived the blast.

"I'm going to kill Loki." she eventually said, once she'd composed herself.

Steve released her to plant a kiss on her head. The rage in her eyes surprised him. He was aware she was fond of Couslon and from the brief moments he'd seen her around the agent since they'd been picked up the previous day, they'd seemed to almost have a father-daughter bond. He'd honestly expected more tears and sorrow from her. As if reading his thoughts, she gave a wobbly smile.

"I'm beyond sad that he's gone. He was a great man and mentor. He didn't treat me as anything less than his equal and was always there to talk to. I'm going to miss him terribly, but before I do, Loki needs to pay. Then, I can grieve." She flashed a wry grin. "I'm not going to break down like I did after Edward and Bucky died. I'm stronger now."

For the first time since waking from the ice, Steve saw it. The steeliness that came with someone so used to their way of life, nothing could shake them. She truly was as strong as she appeared. The realisation both delighted and unsettled him, making him hope with all he had that though she was hardened, there was still a part of the woman from the 1940s who loved to dance and laugh until she cried.

"We should find the others." Beth suggested, after a brief pause.

He didn't reply, throat thick with emotion. He simply nodded and followed behind as they made their way in the direction Tony had gone.


	11. Gear Up and Get Ready

_I know I've done a lot of updates close together, partly because I'm off work sick and have too much time on my hands, and partly because I don't overly enjoy writing OCs into scenes from the movies. Well, CA:TFA was okay, and I'm already working on Winter Solider and Civil War that are lots of fun, but I'm just not enjoying writing Beth into the Avengers, I prefer the chapters that are entirely my own. So yeah, I'm updating a lot ti get back to my own stuff ASAP. This is probably my last update for a week or so now as I'm back to work tomorrow and am taking extra shifts to make up for my time off._

 _A thank you to **Ebrithme** for your review- you are the awesome one, not me! As for your questions I am happy to answer them all. **Yes** , I am going to write Ultron, Winter Soldier and Civil War. Other series in both the Marvel movies and TV shows will also make guest appearances! **No,** there are no current wedding plans, but never say never, **Yes,** we will see more of Beth's time while Steve was frozen, and **Yes** , I do understand your writing. Your English is fantastic, especially as it's not your first language :)_

 _Thank you also to **WriterGirl1198** \- As always, you made me smile! Yep, there is a story there, and you will find out by the end of this story exactly what that is!_

 ** _Finally, a question to you all, related to the question Ebrithme asked: Any particular moments in Beth's time over the last 70 years you'd like to see written? I have quite a few planned, but I'm always open to more ideas! Also, would you like to see more moments pre-war? Again, what would you like to see?_**

 _Thank to everyone for your adds and favourites._

 _Enjoy!_

 _..._

 _ **May 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012, The Helicarrier. 7.30am**_

Beth paused halfway to their destination, cocking her head in a way that told Steve she was listening to something. She sucked in a breath and sighed, grinning at Steve when he asked what was happening.

"Clint's back to himself. Other than a nasty bump on the head and a truckload of guilt he'll probably carry the rest of his life, he's okay."

The relief in her voice told Steve the other agent was someone special to his sister, like Natasha, but something in him stopped him from asking. Honestly, he may have accepted the fact his sister had joined him in the 'super-solider club' dubbed by Fury, but after witnessing the lethal skills he'd seen from Barton and Romanoff, he decided he was better off not knowing what she'd done to end up so close to two of the most dangerous people he'd met.

"Hey, so what was with the name Fury called you? Enigma was it?"

"Not right now." Beth snapped, voice harsher that she intended, but she could see in her peripheries that Steve understood.

He thought of Bucky, imagining how his best friend would react to this Beth. Knowing the idiot, he would fall even more hopelessly in love with her. He'd always been drawn to women who weren't afraid to smack him to the ground if he was being a moron. Steve had even suspected that's why he and Beth had lasted so long and gotten engaged; her time in the Howling Commandos had increased both her confidence and lust for life, both things Bucky himself oozed. If he was here now, he'd be in awe every bit as much as he was in love with her.

"Hey, you okay?" Beth asked, dragging him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just thinking."

She could tell there was something deeper to it, but she wasn't going to question him. Now wasn't the time anyway. They eventually found Tony back in the detainment area, staring blankly at the now-empty hole where Loki had been held. Beth opened her mouth to speak, but Steve silently held out a hand, asking her to wait. He stepped up onto the platform opposite Tony and folded his arms before leaning up against the rail behind him.

"Was he married?" he asked, ignoring Beth's confused glance.

Beth wasn't sure where Steve was going with this. He could have asked her about Phil, so why did he ask Tony? She assumed he had a plan though; even before his transformation, he had a way of doing things that had Beth and Bucky completely confused until his final play. With that in mind, she made sure to stay out of sight, listening as Tony said there was a cellist. Beth's heart clenched at the thought of Audrey discovering her partner was dead, and briefly, she wandered who would be the one to tell her. Fury, most likely. Or possibly the head of SHIELD, Alexander Pierce. He occasionally stepped out of his glass box of an office to put on a show of loyalty from SHIELD to the families of the deceased. All she knew for sure was that there was no chance in Hell that they would convince her to do it.

"He was an idiot."

Beth knew he was doing what he did best when he was hurt, but the comment from Tony had blood rushing to her ears that she had to fight back before she did something she'd regret, like punching his face. thankfully, Steve was better at retaining composure and calmly countered the statement like it hadn't affected him. she continued listening as Tony drew nearer, trying her hardest to remain cool as jab after jab came from the billionaire's mouth. Steve could hear her knuckles crack from how hard she clenched her fists, but said nothing as he continued talking with him, though he did make sure to position his body so that she would have to get through him first if she did decide to go for Tony.

"Sometimes there isn't a way out Tony."

"Right, I've heard that before."

Tony brushed past Steve, only to find himself blocked by an angry Beth.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?"

The rage on Tony's face had Beth stepping forward automatically as he rounded on Steve.

"We are NOT soldiers."

He was shaking with anger, the vibrations enough to make Beth reach a hand out to him. She was surprised when he accepted the touch without even a flinch. It seemed to work as he took a breath to calm slightly before speaking again.

"I'm not marching to Fury's fife."

"Neither am I. He's got the same blood as his hands as Loki does, but right now we gotta put that behind us and get this done. Now we put together a list…" Steve replied without missing a beat.

Beth couldn't help looking down at her own hands as he spoke, still rust red from trying to hold together Phil's chest. They began to shake until a hand rested on them, stilling them. Tony. He caught her gaze with a reassuring one of his own, squeezing his grip until she nodded that she was okay.

"No." Tony said, interrupting Steve. "It's personal."

"That's not the point…"

Once again, Tony butted in, to Steve's annoyance.

"That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart."

"Yeah, divide and conquer us, great, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us; he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"Right, like his act in Stuttgart."

"Right. That's just previews; this is, this is opening night and Loki, he's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants flashing lights, parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered all over it…"

Beth's jaw drop at the same instant Tony's snapped shut. Steve gave them both a questioning look, prompting one of them to continue as he tried to figure out their train of thought.

"Crap, you don't think…?" Beth asked Tony, worrying her lip once more.

"Son of a bitch."

"Guys, you lost me here. What's going on?" Steve asked, starting to lose patience.

"Where do you know that has a sky high building with one of our names shining like a beacon across it for all to see?" Tony snapped back.

The realisation on his face would have been comical if Beth wasn't already pushing past them so she could make her way to her locker.

"Suit up, get Nat and Clint and meet me downstairs in ten minutes. We need to leave." She barked over her shoulder before slipping out of sight.

"I forgot she's bossy." Tony said after she'd disappeared.

"Would you believe it if I said I used to be the one giving _her_ the orders and that she was never comfortable leading?"

"Not in a million years."

Steve couldn't help but grin, even if it did fall almost immediately after when he caught sight of the blood stain on the wall where Coulson fell.

"I'll get the others and meet you by your suit so we can draw up a plan."

"Roger, Rogers. Wow, I only just realised how unfortunate your surname is."

"Yeah, and you're not the first to notice." Steve drily replied, remembering Bucky's torments the first time he too had made that particular discovery.

 _"Seriously man, you have either the most appropriate,or most inconvenient name ever."_

 _"Inconvenient, Buck. Definitely inconvenient." Steve replied, though he was grinning at the same time._

Tony flashed a brief teasing grin that clashed with the memory of Bucky's before following Beth out of the room. Steve took a moment to look at the blood-stained wall, silently vowing to the fallen agent that he would make sure he was avenged and bring his dream to reality. He paused on his way to the infirmary to throw on his uniform once more. He paused at the doorway, watching as Beth sat on one of the benches, her rifle in front of her as she loaded it. He was so familiar with Bucky doing the same actions, he felt a lump rise in his throat. As if she could sense it, her azure blue eyes snapped up to meet his gaze and she gave a solemn smile.

"Hey."

He stepped into the room, his hand reaching down to brush against the dark wood of the rifle butt, as if he could somehow feel Bucky from it. He didn't, but the action seemed to soothe Beth as she took a relaxed breath.

"It feels so strange not having him here with us." He admitted.

"I know. It's been years but I still find myself expecting him to come bursting through the door, complaining that you've tried convincing him not to fight again."

"I never knew that."

She snorted, eyes shining with both amusement and that deep-rooted sadness that always had Steve's heart clenching.

"Yeah. You'd ask both of us to stay behind and we'd turn to each other to complain about it before deciding we loved your overprotective ass anyway. Same as right now; you're not stopping me from going."

Steve couldn't help but smile fondly at her, and she was more than grateful that for once, he didn't try to argue with her. Instead, he placed a hand on her hair and ruffled it gently before she stood to continue loading herself up with guns and small knives. His eyes widened at her last pieces of equipment; a gauntlet attached to her arm loaded with small metal blades.

"They slice through almost anything and give you a nasty shock at the same time." She explained, a dark glint in her eye telling him they were a particularly favoured weapon of hers.

It was yet another thing that told him the sister he'd once had no longer existed. Strangely, he found himself smiling at the thought when up until then, the knowledge had threatened to shatter him.

"I'm heading to the infirmary. I'll meet you at the hangar."

She nodded, her face devoid of emotion as she began threading her hair into a braid. For the first time since waking, he was relieved for the changes in her, especially in this fight. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her so soon after getting her back.

Beth watched his retreating back, a pit of worry in her stomach she hadn't felt since fighting the Red Skull. It was both horrible and unpleasant, but she was mostly relieved as it was yet another thing reassuring her that she had Steve back. Once satisfied she was ready, she reached for her rifle and slung it onto her shoulder.

It was time for some payback.


	12. Fatigue

_I'm asking again only because I'm genuinely curious:_

 ** _Any particular moments in Beth's time over the last 70 years you'd like to see written? I have quite a few planned, but I'm always open to more ideas! Also, would you like to see more moments pre-war? Again, what would you like to see?_**

 _Let me know!_

 _Also, I am on vacation from the 5th-19th August and am working solidly until the 3rd so it is unlikely I will get to update before I leave and extremely unlikely I will update whilst away as I will be camping in the middle of nowhere. I will try though! After the next chapter, things will be more my own stuff again,I hope you enjoy!_

 _ **May 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012, Manhattan, 11:26 am.**_

Beth was already exhausted. Sweat was dripping from her forehead to her eyes and they'd only just begun. She thought she'd seen it all; boy was she wrong. Within the first five seconds of joining the fight, she knew she was hilariously outmatched. Even Steve was panting as he re-joined her, Nat and Clint, which was never a good sign.

"How are we going to win this?" she managed to gasp out to Clint in between stabbing one alien in the chest and using her blade to lob off another's head, still trying to get over the initial shock that they were under a real, honest-to-god alien attack.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Duck!"

She dropped, the familiar feeling of hot blood spraying onto her back and head. Her face scrunched in disgust as she accepted the hand Steve held out to her.

"Great. Just great!" she growled, partly from the thought of removing the blood from the blue material, partly from the lack of a plan. So much for her being a leader. She was barely focusing on her own movements, let alone the others. How the hell was she supposed to co-ordinate them?

"Okay. think of a plan, think of a plan." She mumbled as she continued fighting.

"You know, saying it over and over isn't going to help."

"Shut up Nat, or I swear to God…"

"We don't have time for arguing right now you guys. Knock it off." Clint snapped, eyes narrowing as Loki entered his sight once more.

From above them, lightning came crashing down, frying a group of Chitauri. Shortly after, Thor slammed down next to the small group, albeit with a stumble that had Beth's eyes creasing with worry. If even a God looked tired, there was no way the rest of them could hold up much longer. As Thor gave the lowdown on the Tesseract, Beth began collecting up as many weapons as she could stash away, most dropped by the Chitauri. She was also successful in finding a number of Clint's arrows, returning them to a very grateful owner. Quickly, he began assembling some new arrowheads, telling Thor to get in line as he claimed he had unfinished business with Loki.

"Save it. Loki's going to keep the fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild." Steve claimed as he walked slightly ahead of the group.

Sensing her brother had a plan, she smiled as he turned to look back of them, a brief nod of her head giving him full permission to take charge. He wasted no time in speaking his plans, his eyes flashing at her with gratitude.

"we've got Stark on top. He's gonna need us to…"

The sound of an engine chugging towards them cut off the Captain, and they all looked with varying shock and relief to see Bruce making his way over to them, his expression sheepish as he clambered off the motorbike he'd been riding.

"So, this all seems horrible."

Beth wanted to kiss him. she didn't think she'd ever be as happy to see anyone as the day she'd reunited with Steve, but this was cutting it very close. Grinning, she choked back a laugh as Nat claimed they could use 'a little worse'. As Tony's suit came into view above, Beth's jaw dropped. She was too stunned to even tease Nat's reply, her whole body locking in a mixture of shock and fear. It only intensified as she watched the Doctor, a gentle and kind man she'd grown very fond of in the short time she'd known him, turn into the legendary Hulk. As he began tearing into the beast, Tony fired a shot at it. Beth was quick to scramble behind Clint, taking shelter behind an overturned car as Steve used his shield to cover Nat and Thor jumped out of the way. Above her, she could hear the screams and cries of the Chitauri, making her realise they would be coming down even harder on them this time. wary, she kept her gaze on them as she joined the others, standing next to Steve as she pulled Bucky's rifle off her back, ready for the next onslaught. Beside her, Steve readied his shield, and on her other side, Nat was loading a fresh clip into her handgun.

"Guys." Nat spoke, indicating to the sky above as more aliens came pouring out.

"Call it Captain." Tony spoke as they all stared in disbelief.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything; call out patterns and strays. Stark, you've got the perimeter. Anything goes more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

As Clint disappeared out of sight with Tony, Beth breathed a silent prayer for them. For years, they'd been a part of her family, and only her faith in their abilities stopped her from losing it altogether.

"Thor. You've gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. you've got the lightning, light the bastards up."

Beth's eyebrow raised as Thor also disappeared, but chose not to say anything this time. if somehow they managed to survive this however, she was definitely bringing it up.

"You and me, we stay here on the ground and keep the fighting here." Steve continued, speaking to Nat.

He turned his focus to Beth, his eyes shining with torment and Beth gave a smile, knowing that he really didn't want her to do whatever it was he was about to say, but also knowing that he had no choice.

"Beth, look around for any more people who need help escaping. Try and get the area as clear of civilians as possible."

She nodded, taking off in a jog towards a building she'd seen being blocked earlier by a fallen truck. A roar from the Hulk behind her had her glancing back, in time to see the gargantuan flung himself across the buildings, debris raining down on her as he took the command 'smash' a bit too literally. One piece of cinderblock landed a bit too close for comfort, forcing Beth to skip aside to avoid it.

"Hey, don't forget we're down here too!" she yelled, before remembering he wasn't wearing a comms earpiece. Muttering to herself, she used her strength to slowly nudge aside the truck in front of her to find a group of scared faces looking up at her in terror. One woman began to scream and she hastily shushed them.

"It's okay, I'm here to get you to safety."

The screaming stopped and Beth sighed in relief before ushering the scared people out into the street. The moment they were in the open, the Chitauri began open firing on them, one woman dropping to the ground before Beth was able to shoot back. Gritting her teeth, the blonde woman ignored the shouts of the others around her as she took down three more aliens coming their way. An explosion from above told her Thor was doing his role effectively, making her grateful as a number of the Chitauri fighters turned away from her to race back towards the God. She began bustling the group towards the other end of the street, desperate to get them to safety before the aliens came back.

"Quickly now, make your way to the subway and keep going until you reach the end of the line."

She turned, ensuring they followed her orders when a young girl, barely out of diapers, let out a blood-curdling scream. Instinctively, Beth twisted to shoot at the attacker, only to find a force slamming her into the ground with a sickening crunch. She felt her skull crack as the pavement crumbled beneath her, the blow stunning her long enough for the Chitauri fighter to stab her through the shoulder with its weapon, pinning her to the ground. She let out a scream as the alien reached down to claw at the wound, her free arm slamming against its head in an attempt to stun it. one leathery hand grasped at her throat, a grip unlike any she'd ever felt before. In her weakened state, she knew she couldn't free herself, but she knew one of her guns was close to her injured arm. Biting back a cry, she grasped the cold metal and raised the weapon high enough to shoot the alien through the head. Blood splattered against her face and she gagged as it went into her mouth, the taste completely different to human blood.

"Okay, this is a time I'm glad for the serum." She murmured to herself as she wrenched the blade from her shoulder and shakily stood, beyond thankful to see that the Chitauri had been so focused on her, the others had managed to escape.

Her ear buzzed, the sounds of Tony and Clint communicating with each other giving her some comfort as she continued down the street in a search for civilians. After six more people and a lot of shouting, she deemed the street as clear as she could get it and began making her way back to Steve and Natasha. She arrived in time to see Natasha give Steve an apologetic shrug, clearly having almost shot him as she lowered the weapon in her hands. With a roll of her eyes, Beth made her way over to them.

"Did I miss anything?" she asked.

"Not really, just a bunch of aliens trying to kill us, you know, the usual." Steve dryly replied.

She smirked, nudging him in the ribs as he gave a soft smile back to her. Nat watched the pair as they began to fight a new group of Chitauri, noticing that they fought effortlessly together, Steve even handing her his shield so she could use it to bat away one of their attackers. It was as if they'd spent their whole lives fighting alongside each other and the agent was now beginning to see how Steve, Beth and the other Howling Commandos garnered their reputations. She didn't dwell on it for long, dodging a swipe from a Chitauri with a growl. Once that group was finished, Nat slumped tiredly against the cab she was next to.

"We need to close the portal." Beth commented, as Nat herself spoke.

"those guns couldn't touch it." Steve replied.

"well maybe it's not about guns."

Steve and Beth both stared at Nat as her face scrunched in thought, their looks only broken as a new wave of Chitauri dropped to the ground in front of them. Beth moved protectively in front of the pair as Steve used his shield to launch Nat into the air. Steve was fast to re-join Beth as the fighters began shooting at them, Beth breathing a sigh of relief only after Nat called over the comm a moment later that she was okay.

"I really hope this thing is ended soon."

"Yeah, I know, but for now we have to keep fighting."

Beth nodded at Steve, the pair going back to back with each other as they continued battling their way through the Chitauri. The sounds of Tony's Iron Man suit had Beth silently throwing a prayer of thanks into the air.

"Down!"

She dropped, rolling to the side and continuing to shoot as as Tony fired a blast at Steve's shield, the beam deflecting off it and sweeping through the aliens. It was a narrow call, the smell of singed hair telling her she'd likely lost an inch or so from her braid, but it didn't bother her. what did bother her was the fact the ray had snapped through her hairband, her blonde curls unravelling from the braid to interrupt her vision. Cursing, she jumped back to her feet, hastily stuffing as much of the thick mane as possible into the back of her jacket, making a mental note to get it cut as soon as she was back home.

A sudden roar overhead had both Steve and Beth instinctively ducking, one of the giant flying monsters resembling a whale narrowly missing them as it crashed into the grand central station building. Beth winced at the destruction of the landmark.

"Hope nobody was planning on catching a train anytime soon." Clint's voice quipped over the comms.

The unexpected comment drew a laugh from Beth, something she could have never predicted entering the fight. The amusement didn't last long as his voice returned seconds later to alert them of civilians trapped in a bank.

"Damn." Beth spat, realising she hadn't gone that far when checking the perimeter earlier.

"You couldn't have known. Stay here, I'll handle it." Steve reassured.

She nodded, her brother racing down the street after briefly squeezing her shoulder. She continued fighting the stray Chitauri around her, with the occasional blast from Tony or Thor helping her along the way, much to her relief. Once the area was cleared, she made her way towards Steve's direction, gaping in shock as he was blasted from the building, his mask removed.

"Steve!" she yelled as he crashed with a groan onto a car nearby.

He slid off the vehicle, taking a deep breath as he steadied himself. She cast a concerned gaze over him, seeing a wide open cut on his arm and numerous scratches littering his face, but she knew she wasn't in much better shape herself.

"A little help!"

Beth's head snapped up to witness Clint shoot an arrow towards Loki. a second later and the God was smashing through the top floor of Stark tower, quickly followed by the Hulk. Beth gave a laughing cheer from below, and even Steve cracked a grin as the Hulk's roar reverberated through Manhattan. It was enough to spur her on, her rifle out and shooting before the next group even had chance to hit the ground, Steve by her side.


	13. Last Hope

_Hi everyone! I'm back from the holiday and had an absolute blast travelling round some of the most stunning castles in the UK, and took part in my first combat session with the re-enactment group I belong to!_

 _Now I'm back and time to get down to business. Enjoy this instalment! It's a bit short, so I will try to get the next one out ASAP._

 _ **May 4th 2012, Manhattan, New York. 12.07 pm.**_

It wasn't long before exhaustion truly began to show. Clint had been blasted from his perch, Tony made a crash landing to the ground and even the Hulk was beginning to look overwhelmed. Beth was fighting for every breath, her rifle slung over her back, replaced with her handgun. She knew her manoeuvres had become sloppy and she struggled to keep herself from staggering as one of the aliens managed to slam his fists into her back. She'd lost sight of Steve seconds earlier, but could still hear him as he too struggled to keep up the fight.

"Get the hell off me!" she yelled as a Chitauri jumped on her back, sending her sprawling onto the floor.

She fired, the bullet successfully hitting its mark but before she could stand, there was another one there, grasping her hair to bang her head against the concrete. An arm shot out, clad in a familiar shade of blue, and grasped the alien, prying it from her. With shaky legs, Beth stood and gave her brother a thankful look.

"Stark, you hear me?" Fury's voice suddenly spoke. "You have a missile headed straight for the city."

Beth shared a horrified look with her brother. Surely the director hadn't ordered it?

"How long?" Tony replied.

"Three minutes max. Payload could wipe out midtown."

Beth sucked in a breath, hearing the anger and desperation in the older man's voice.

"He didn't order the hit." She said to Steve. "I can tell."

That small fact didn't reassure the captain. It didn't matter who sent it, only that his sister and all the civilians in the area were at risk.

"Don't even think about telling me to leave. We die together, if we die at all." Beth snapped, before he had chance to open his mouth.

He didn't argue, deciding that was a fair deal. Instead, he gave a jerky nod before turning his attention to the sky. Beth followed his gaze, seeing Tony fly out to meet the missile, but her attention was quickly drawn back to the ground as Thor landed next to her, killing an alien as it was about to pistol whip her. There was no time for thanks as she drew her gun once more, in a last ditch attempt to destroy the aliens before the nuke destroyed them. Suddenly, Steve was on the ground, another group of Chitauri firing at them.

"Get up!" she yelled to her brother as he weakly attempted to get onto his feet.

Thankfully, Thor's use of Mjolnir to send a car flying helped to clear the group and the God turned to assist the captain off the floor.

"Are you ready for another bought?" Thor asked as Beth quickly checked the wound on Steve's side. Happy it wasn't about to kill him before she did for risking his life, she nodded.

"What, you getting sleepy?" was Steve's reply.

Thor gave Steve a look that said he clearly thought the other male had lost his mind before calling Mjolnir back to him. Beth took the chance to reload her two handguns, knowing she was too tired to lift the weight of her rifle at that moment.

"I can close it. can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down" Nat asked, her voice sending a wave of hope through Beth.

"Do it!" Steve called.

"No, wait." Tony answered.

"Stark, these things are still coming."

"I got a nuke coming in in less than a minute. And I know just where to put it."

Beth's mouth dropped open. Surely, he wouldn't….oh yes he would. He very much would, confirming he knew it was a one-way trip. If he did this, he would die. She found herself blinking back tears as he soared upwards towards the wormhole, uncaring that there were more aliens coming towards her. tony vanished, and seconds later, every one of the Chitauri fell dead. Just like that, the battle was over, but Beth didn't care, her eyes glued to the sky even as it lit up like the fourth of July. They waited a few painful seconds, before Steve spoke, his words heavy.

"Close it."

Beth's fists tightened as she clamped down the urge to scream at her brother. She couldn't bear to watch as the portal shut down, the hole in the sky closing, until Steve's voice spoke again, this time with happiness.

"Son of a gun."

Her head snapped up so fast, she felt it pop, but the overwhelming joy when she saw the flash of red and gold overwhelmed the pain. She couldn't hold her tears back any longer, her knees finally giving way as she sank to the floor. Concern quickly began taking over as one by one, they realised he wasn't stopping. Thor readied himself to catch Tony, but the Hulk beat him to it, plucking the billionaire from the air as if he were a feather before unceremoniously dropping him down beside them. They rushed over, Thor tearing away his mask and Steve checking to see he was breathing. He moved aside for Beth to have access, but before she had chance to reach for a pulse, the Hulk roared, startling Tony to consciousness and causing Beth to jump with a yell.

"What the Hell?" Tony gasped as the Hulk roared again. He looked around wildly, from Thor's smiling face, to Steve's proud one and finally, to Beth's relieved one. "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me."

Beth couldn't help it. as Steve sat back nodding, she wrapped her arms awkwardly round Tony, ignoring the grunt as his armour pressed into him from her weight.

"We won." Steve said, as if he was still comprehending the whole situation.

"alright, yay. Alright, good job guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried Shawarma? There's a Shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."

Beth laughed, pulling herself off him to share a grin with Steve.

"we are not finished yet." Thor reminded them.

"Oh yeah."

"And then Shawarma after." Tony declared.

One by one, Hulk and Thor helped carry the others up to the floor of Stark tower where Loki was busy extracting himself from the hole he'd been slammed into by the Hulk. He was only mildly successful, turning to see the entire team in front of him with varying pissed off expressions, Clint's arrow ready to fire if he made any moves. His icy orbs settled on Beth only this time, it was her turn to smirk, knowing they'd won.

The sounds of a chopper filled the air and Fury entered the room a second later, agent Hill on his heels. Within seconds, Loki was bound, gagged and aboard the helicopter to be taken back to Washington.

"Well done team."

As Fury climbed into the chopper and left, Nat, Clint and Beth all gave looks of surprise.

"Wow. I think that's the best praise I've ever heard from him." Clint commented, with the two women nodding in agreement.

"it's been a long day. He probably didn't even realise he said it out loud."

The sound of a stomach growling cut off any responses to Natasha's statement. As everyone began looking round for the culprit, Beth's gaze zoned immediately on Steve, whose cheeks had turned a shade only slightly brighter than the red of Tony's Iron Man suit.

"That settles it; it's time for food."

Fifteen minutes and a lot of steps later, the team found themselves standing in front of the Shawarma place spotted earlier by Tony. The front was no more, the furniture all but destroyed, yet the billionaire simply strode inside as if it was a normal Friday night and to the amusement and disbelief of the others, proceeded to ring the bell for assistance.

"Hello! Anybody home?"

"Tony, I really don't think…"

Steve's words failed as an ageing man shakily poked his head round the corner, dark eyes widening in awe at the sight before him.

"Ah, fantastic. I presume you're open, especially considering the fact you no longer have a wall, which I will replace for you as well as any other damages if you serve us any and all food you have that hasn't been destroyed."

It took a few seconds for the shop owner to realise they were deadly serious, and as he scurried back into the kitchen, Beth and Thor quietly bustled about until they'd managed to find a table and set of chairs that hadn't been smashed. They ate in silence, each Avenger lost in their thoughts. Beth found herself thinking of Bucky, back to one of their conversations long before the war tore them apart from one another.

" _Come on Steve! We can't be the only planet out there with life!"_

" _Right. Then how come they've never dropped by for a visit?"_

 _Bucky paused for a moment, lost in thought._

" _maybe they're too far away to know we exist?" Beth asked from her spot on the sofa where she'd been pretending to read her book when she was actually absorbed in the argument between the two men._

 _Bucky's face lit up at her statement, grinning from ear to ear as he reached over to kiss her cheek fondly._

" _And that is why you're the intelligent one in the group! Nice one Bethie!"_

 _As Beth beamed from the praise, Steve folded his arms with a huff, leading to Bucky throwing at a pillow in his face and a command to 'stop sulking like a child'. Steve threw the cushion back, sparking a pillow fight that only ended when Steve abruptly bent over wheezing, his chest giving out from the excitement._

"I know that look. What are you remembering?" Natasha asked, breaking through the quiet.

"With a grin that dopey, it can only be about Bucky." Clint teased, a smirk on his face.

Beth flicked a piece of meat at the archer with a laugh.

"Yeah, just thinking how Bucky would have reacted to seeing the aliens. The most likely would be to turn to Steve with the biggest 'I told you so' ever."

Those who knew who Bucky was threw back their heads and roared. Those who had no clue who Bucky was simply sat watching the others, smiles on their own faces as they basked in the fact they were all alive and the world was safe once more.


	14. The Aftermath

_**May 5**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012\. Central Park, New York.**_

The following day was a mixture of emotions as everything began to sink in properly. For Beth, it was a combination of disbelief, grief and anger. It wasn't made better when Tony decided it would be a good idea to poke fun of her when she voiced her thoughts.

"Aren't you supposed to be called Enigma?" grinning at her expression, he continued. "Yeah, I heard. You're not being too enigmatic right now though. More like an adorable Care Bear, full of hugs and kisses. Want us to hold hands and sing kumbaya?"

The next thing anyone knew, he was on the floor sporting a bloody nose as Beth slammed out of the room.

"You had to provoke her, didn't you?" Clint sighed, shaking his head.

"She's unusually touchy about that name." Tony defended.

For once, Steve agreed with the billionaire, thinking her reaction was more than a little overkill. He attempted to follow her, only to find the route blocked by both Natasha and Clint.

"Just give her a few minutes. I guarantee she'll come back with an apology and a humble pie that'll keep you going for weeks."

True enough, Beth slipped back into the room less than ten minutes later, a look of shame on her face as she approached Tony.

"I'm sorry. That name just has really bad memories for me. I shouldn't have hit you."

The group watching expected a number of reactions from Tony from anger and sarcasm, to teasing. Not for him to simply wrap his arms round her, mumbling something they couldn't hear in her ear that made her smile and return the embrace.

"It's time." Fury's voice said over the speakers, drawing everyone's attention from the hugging pair.

The tone was only slightly less sombre than the day before as they flew to Central Park. Thor was already waiting, Loki behind him in manacles and a mask across his face. His gaze still zoned in on Beth, only this time she simply glared at him, hatred flooding through her veins in an attempt to persuade her it wasn't too late to shoot him. Sensing her feelings, Natasha placed a hand on the other female's shoulder and squeezed, drawing her attention away from the Asgardian. Beth turned her focus instead to Thor, who was holding a container as Bruce placed the tesseract carefully inside it. She had to admit, she was not sorry to see it go. Everything bad in her life happened as a result of it, and if she never saw it again, it would be far too soon. Next to her, Nat whispered in Clint's ear that she'd caught Beth about to kill Loki, making the other agent smirk in amusement.

A moment later, everything was ready. Thor handed one of the container handles to Loki and once the other God had a secure grip, the God of thunder shared a look with his newfound teammates and friends, giving a respectful nod before twisting the handle in his own grip. The pair were engulfed in a bright blue light, forcing the group to take a step back and just like that, they were gone.

Beth found herself resting against the wall behind her, watching the rest of her teammates with a contentedness she was surprised to feel. Differences finally put aside, Steve walked over to take Tony's hand, the men sharing looks of respect as Steve began to understand that deep down, Tony was an honourable man, and Tony began to see the greatness in Steve his father and Beth had always spoken about. Natasha collected Bruce's duffle bag from the SHIELD car she'd 'borrowed' while Clint simply gave a brief jerk of acknowledgement before climbing into the vehicle. Beth couldn't blame him. He was easily suffering the most out of all of them, guilt still at the forefront of his mind.

"Hey, Aunt Beth?"

"Hmm?" she replied, tearing her gaze from the car to Tony.

"There's plenty of positions at Stark industries if you fancy a change in career. I'm thinking of starting a new surgical division and could do with someone of your talent and experience leading."

She knew full well Coulson's death was the driving force behind his sudden announcement, just as she knew he was giving her an out from the life as a soldier/spy/agent, but she found herself shaking her head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not ready to return to medicine. I'm not sure I ever will be." She admitted.

She was fully aware she still had the knowledge to return to her life as a surgeon, but too many had died despite her supposed skills. She thought she was strong enough to handle it, but Coulson had only proved she was wrong. No, she was better remaining where she was. No more of her friends would die under her hands. Tony didn't attempt to argue with her, his chocolate eyes displaying a depth of understanding that had her blinking back tears as he leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"Offer is always open. As if the offer to drop by for a visit any time you're in New York or Malibu."

"Noted. Take care, Tony."

With a playful wink, he was off. She waved as he and Bruce peeled away, Steve next to her with his arm wrapped round her neck gently.

"You coming?" He asked, once they were alone.

"In a bit. I'll see you at home, okay?"

He nodded and she smiled as his motorcycle purred to life. As he disappeared from view, she turned to the last member of the group, offering him a smile and her hand to shake.

"Hello Professor Selvig. It's nice to officially meet you."

He took the offered appendage, looking almost awestruck as he returned her smile. Beth helped him as he lifted the now-empty briefcase from the floor to place it in the awaiting van, agreeing to take a walk with her. After a while of aimless chatter, they sat on one of the park benches.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it?" Erik spoke, breaking Beth from her thoughts.

"It certainly is. Less than twenty-four hours ago we were fighting aliens and now we're talking about our favourite coffee. I find it surreal."

"Likewise. I must say, between Gods, aliens and figures of living history coming back to life, it's been a crazy year." The scientist commented.

"I couldn't agree with you more there. Just as I think nothing stranger can happen, it does. I can't say I can complain too much though. It may have taken someone I care about from me, but it's also brought me new friends, strengthened my current friendships and most importantly, given me my brother back."

"I was also referring about you." Erik pointed out, eyes twinkling with amusement.

She shot him a perplexed look and he smiled at her before explaining.

"As far as the world is concerned, two legends from history have come back to life. I was born a few years after the war, so it was still fresh in everyone's mind. All the boys wanted to be the next Captain America, but I remember my sister and her friends wanted to be you. My sister even became a surgeon because of you. You were the first ever female surgeon in the armed forces. You gave women hope, showed them they could be so much more. Sure, everyone focuses on Captain America, but the women? They also focus on Elizabeth Rogers, who up until today, was believed to be dead. I bet the media is absolutely exploding right now, not just with the news of aliens and the fact Captain America is alive and well, but also the fact that you have somehow also very publicly risen from the dead."

Beth's eyes widened in shock as his words sank in, realisation that she hadn't even attempted to hide her identity from the world when she'd fought the day before slamming into her. If she hadn't already been sitting down, she would be now. Erik watched her face blanche with a worried glance.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh. I just need a second. Shit. I didn't even think about that. Shit, shit, shit!"

Erik chuckled at her outburst, the woman reminding him very much of Jane whenever she made a miscalculation or error. He wouldn't have been at all surprised if her next move was to thrust her hands into her hair.

On cue, Beth did exactly that, missing the triumphant expression on the scientist's face.

"Erik, do you have a cell with you? Mine's on the Helicarrier."

He wordlessly handed over the device in his pocket, puzzled as she punched in a number and held it up to her ear.

"Hello, I understand how busy you must be, but is there any chance I can speak with Ben Urich please?" Beth requested when the call finally collected.

The voice on the other end of the line began speaking, but Beth was quick to cut her off.

"Look lady, I get it, but trust me. Both you and your paper will very much regret not patching me through to him right now. Tell him it's Margaret Carter's niece."

With a sigh, Beth sat back down next to Erik to explain as she was placed on hold.

"Ben is a reporter who managed to somehow find out Steve was alive. We agreed he could interview Steve, but to not release it until the world knew he was alive. I guess the cat's out of the bag now. He's kept his promise, and he kept his silence about me when he realised who I was. He's the only one I'd trust in the world of journalism."

Erik gave a small smile of understanding, patting her shoulder as the call was finally connected.

"Beth? I'm glad to see you survived whatever the hell that was yesterday. I think you and your brother have given the world an extra shock though."

Warmth flooded through Beth at the sound of his voice. Despite the fact he was a journalist, he was the nicest one she'd met and was just doing what he could to help his sickly wife.

"Thanks. I got a bit banged up, but I'll live. Look, I haven't seen anything from the news yet, but would I be right in assuming there's a fair bit about me there?"

"Oh, you bet there is sweetheart. Every feature is aliens, Steve, you, the avengers, Steve, you, aliens, you, Steve. I think you guys broke the news."

She chuckled before responding.

"Well then, you already have Steve's story. I think people need to also know my story before the rumour mill gets too far, wouldn't you agree?"

After giving him time to set up an audio recorder, she briefly filled him in on the past seventy years, only leaving out the details of her time at HYDRA. Ben couldn't thank her enough, but she was the one who was thanking him as she ended the call, knowing he wouldn't try to sugar coat or mince her words. He'd just type up what she said and print it.

The only thing that worried her was the fact she'd spent so many years hidden behind the scenes and in the shadows. In the war, she'd become a household name alongside Steve and Bucky, primarily for the achievements she managed as a woman, but also largely due to the relationship between her and Bucky. Even now, the story of Beth Rogers and Bucky Barnes was famous; the tragic tale of two lovers torn apart by war before both sacrificing themselves to save the man who brought them together. However, back then, they'd been too absorbed in the fighting for it to impact their lives. She doubted she'd be able to avoid it this time.

"It'll be okay, you know. People these days don't have the attention span as they did back in the day. Give it a month and some new gadget or celebrity scandal will make them forget about you." Erik voiced, sensing her anxiety.

Beth thanked him with a soft smile, the pair parting ways a short while later. She'd barely started walking when the sound of a car engine drew close to her. With a roll of her eyes, she stopped so it could halt besides her and slid in to the passenger seat.

"How long have you two been there?"

Two sets of matching grins were her only response.

"Figures. Drive."

"Yeah, about that. Turns out you and Steve are wanted in D.C. SHIELD stuff." Nat informed her.

Beth let her head drop onto the headrest, sliding her eyes shut as they drove. Steve was already waiting when they arrived, but Beth was more interested in the fact that the place seemed more or less intact. What didn't surprise her was how busy it was, with people darting here and there. Say what you wanted about them, but New Yorkers were a tough breed.

"Thanks for the ride." She said to Natasha.

The other agent simply smirked and reached for a pair of sunglasses, handing them over to Beth as Clint removed his baseball cap and placed it on her head.

"You're probably going to need them." Clint advised, jerking his thumb to one of the television screens nearby, Beth's face plastered across it along with the headline: BREAKING NEWS- BETH ROGERS ALIVE!

She groaned and dropped her head into her hands.

"Ben told me about it, but I hadn't thought I might actually have to see it." She moaned.

Both her friends shared a look, neither knowing who 'Ben' was. They didn't get a chance to ask either as Beth was already saying goodbye and exiting the vehicle. Steve raised an arm in greeting when he caught sight of her, quickly lowering it again when he saw her face contort in what he knew was a glare, despite the fact her eyes were covered.

"Any idea what this is about?" She asked as she joined him.

"Not a clue. You?"

Beth cast a glance at the television and shrugged.

"I can hazard a rough guess."

It was then that Steve began to notice the stares of the people around them, along with no so subtly hushed whispers of both his and Beth's names.

"We should get going" He suggested.

Beth wasted no time in agreeing and followed after him to the plane waiting on the asphalt.

"Huh, I was expecting a SHIELD aircraft." Beth noted as she realised the logo on the side was actually Stark Industries.

"They tried to send one but I thought you guys could do with a luxury flight." Tony's voice spoke from directly behind her, making her jump.

"Thank you Tony." Steve answered, seeing his sister was struggling too much with a mixture of heart failure and an urge to hit Tony to reply for herself.

"Don't mention it. I have business in DC anyway so I figured I could give you guys a ride."

He led them onto the plane, making a beeline for the bar before settling down in one of the extremely luscious looking chairs. Before they'd even taken off, he was fast asleep.

"Wow. I wish I could do that." Beth marvelled as she looked over at him.

Steve chuckled and took a seat for himself, the material too soft and plush for him to feel completely relaxed, but Beth sank into hers with a delighted moan, all but melting into the fabric.

"I can't remember when I was last so comfortable." She sighed, kicking her boots off so she could tuck her legs under her.

Steve waited a few more moments to ensure Tony was asleep before speaking to Beth again.

"Can I ask you a few things?"

Beth's eyes shut for a brief moment. She'd known Steve wasn't going to drop it, but she had hoped he'd give her a few more days at least.

"We can leave it." Steve retracted, seeing the look on her face.

"No, it's okay. There's things you probably need to know anyway. Fire away."

He didn't immediately jump into the question he wanted answered the most, so he settled for one of the milder ones.

"How did you come to join SHIELD? I realise that even though I've known from day one that you are SHIELD, I've never actually asked how that came to be."

Beth gave a small smile; thankful he'd started with a gentler question that she was happy to talk about.

"As you know, SHIELD was already in existence when I escaped HYDRA, but I chose to stay with the Army and the Howling Commandos. The changing point for me was in February 1960. We had a mission to bring in a traitor who'd fled the country. A lot of things changed that day, come to think of it."


	15. The Howling Commandos Retirement

_I just want to say a special shout out to Ebrithme for your review! I'm so glad you're still enjoying the series! I will make a few notes here regarding the review for all to see: 1) The 1960s and 1980s I will definitely write about- In fact this chapter is in the 60s! 2)Not so much Howard and Maria, but possibly she will be involved with Peggy and her husband meeting ;). 3)Her reaction to Howard dying is already written and was one of the very first things I wrote, so watch this space. 4)There will be brief mentions of Tony and Peggy's kids. 5)I'm not sure if any more chapters will be dedicated to WW2 but there may be a few more mentions. FINALLY 6) **YES** , there will be more Bucky but he won't make a full reappearance until the next story._

 _If anyone else has anymore suggestions and requests then please let me know as they all help add to the story and improve your reading enjoyment!_

 _ **February 8**_ _ **th**_ _ **1960, Siem Reap, Cambodia**_

Beth wasn't sure what was going to happen first; herself dying of dehydration, Jones collapsing from exhaustion, Falsworth bleeding out from the bullet wound in his thigh or Dum Dum being shot in the face by someone if he continued complaining. Suddenly, there was a thud and they all turned to see Jones on the ground, his face firmly planted in the dirt. Well, that answered that one. Sighing, Beth crouched beside him to pull his face out of the soil and unscrewed her water bottle to pour the last of the precious resource she had over his face. He came to with a splutter, staring blearily up at her as he tried to regain his bearings.

"Hey sunshine. Come on, we only have a few more miles to go." Beth coaxed, assisting him onto his feet.

"We're getting too old for this." Falsworth groaned.

He sounded done, his words causing Beth to look around the team, not for the first time noting the age lines and bone-deep exhaustion on their faces. Morita had retired from the Army the previous year after discovering he'd developed arthritis, and Dum Dum was leaving at the end of the month to spend time with his family. The others had ploughed on, their high spirits and determination propelling them forwards, however, it was starting to become clear that one-by-one, they were slowing down.

"Hey, guys…"

Beth drew her pistol from her waistband and pointed it straight at Dum Dum, much to the shock of the others, who'd all secretly been betting that Jones would be the one to snap.

"I swear to God that if one more complaint or negative utterance falls from your lips, even the best surgeons in the world will be unable to fix the damage I do to your mouth."

Dum Dum found himself chuckling as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"I was just going to point out the fact there's somebody over there."

Beth followed the direction he was pointing, her jaw dropping when she saw Howard Stark beaming from ear to ear at the group.

"I'm hallucinating, right?" she asked, lowering the gun.

"If you are, then we're screwed, because I see them too." Falsworth ground out through clenched teeth as Peggy Carter appeared beside their friend.

"Well ladies, you all look…awful. You look truly awful. I'm sorry; I can't even pretend to say something nice."

Beth couldn't help but laugh as an elderly Colonel Phillips walked up to her, his eyes sweeping over the group to make sure they weren't about to drop dead on him. A quick wave of his hand had the group bustling towards Peggy and Howard and the food and drink waiting for them. Only Falsworth didn't descend on the items, choosing instead to simply slump to the ground and clutch his thigh with a grimace as the Colonel headed towards Beth.

"Sir." She greeted, a smile on her face laced with tiredness. He may have retired from the army ten years ago, but to Beth, he would always be her commanding officer. Same as she would forever refer to him as Colonel, even though the Army promoted him to Major General after his efforts in the war.

"Lieutenant." He replied with a crisp nod of acknowledgement. His eyes shifted to the man tied up in between Jones and Dum Dum. "This him?"

Beth nodded, jerking his head up so the Colonel could see his face. Phillips glared down at the man.

"You, sir, are a disgrace not only to your country, but to all of mankind. My colleagues here have been relatively gentle towards you, only because they were ordered to do so. To me, you are a traitor, and traitors are punished. Following extradition back to the States, you will be sentenced to death."

As the man slowly began to comprehend the shit pile he was truly in, Beth could see the confidence drain from him as he began to tremble. With a jerk of the Colonel's head, Beth had the man hauled up onto his feet and moved towards the awaiting helicopter nearby. Once he was safely secured between two awaiting soldiers, she hopped down, shielding her eyes as the machine lifted off the ground. She turned her attention back to the other two people she hadn't expected to see.

"What brings you here?" she asked as she made her way over to Falsworth.

"You were late. We were concerned." Peggy replied, direct and to the point as always.

"Sorry. We got held up when Falsworth got shot."

Brown eyes darkened with worry as they swept over to the fellow Brit.

"Oh dear, I didn't even notice. Are you okay?" she asked, voice filled with concern.

"I'll live, though I think my wife may kill me for getting shot."

The group laughed as Beth peeled back the bandage round Falsworth's leg and set about repairing it properly now she was able to. Falsworth regarded her closely as she worked, his grey-blue eyes conflicted, knowing what he was going to say would hurt her, but he also knew she'd understand.

"I think this is my last mission." He told her, keeping his voice low.

"I gathered as much." She replied shakily, flashing him a pained smile.

Once finished, she helped him to the plane before turning her attention to Jones, who was struggling to raise the bottle of water in his hand to his mouth.

"Here." She offered.

He finished the drink in less than five gulps. As she lowered her arm, he took hold of her wrist, his ebony eyes hard.

"You may need to help me now and again, but I don't plan on leaving any time soon. You got that, kiddo?"

Usually, she would've scoffed, reminding him that he was technically only three years older than her, but her throat had gone tight. Instead, she simply patted his cheek with a saddened gaze.

"Gabe, I adore you, but even you're starting to show signs that it's time to stop. I know you're younger than the others, but I don't want you forcing yourself to do this for my sake. In fact, no. I'm calling it. I want you to put in your resignation with Falsworth's."

He opened his mouth to argue, but Beth cut him off with a simple look.

"I'm going to be okay. It's not like you're dying, so it won't be as painful as losing Steve and Bucky. It's also not like I'll never see you all again; in fact, it just means I get to travel more when I come to visit you all."

In that moment, Jones didn't see a young woman in her mid-twenties. He saw who she truly was; a thirty-eight-year-old who should have been married with kids and a career as a surgeon, trapped in a never ending limbo as the world around her continued on. He was hit with a mixture of tenderness and heartache, seeing through her brave façade to the terrified woman that lay beneath as she accepted her fate to watch everyone she loved eventually die. In one swift move, he had his arms wrapped round her.

"Okay kiddo. I'll do it. just don't tell anyone it's because I'm soft."

"Deal." She sniffed, rubbing at her eyes as he pulled away.

Once they were all repaired as well as could be and hooked up to intravenous saline bags in the plane, Beth finally allowed herself to relax, her head falling back to rest against the cold metal behind her. It was nice to finally feel the cold again, the heat and humidity a killer for those living in Cambodia, let alone those who'd never been there and were carrying assorted military gear with them.

"So, you all live to see another day, proving yet again that you're an ace at leading the team. I still can't believe you ever doubted yourself."

One eye slid open to reveal Howard's face hovering beside her, looking as smug as always.

"Shouldn't you be flying this thing?" she asked, choosing to ignore his comment.

"Nah. I have an autopilot that flies the plane for me and lets me be free to be sociable." He shrugged.

"Oh. Next question; why did they bring you in? Not that I'm unhappy to see you."

Howard's dark eyes glanced over at the Colonel, a knowing in his gaze that had Beth shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Noticing the two pairs of eyes on him, Phillips made his way over.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I want you to join SHIELD. There's nobody else the three of us trust more to run it than you. If your brother was alive, I'd ask him too, but as he isn't, you will act as his voice too."

Beth was stunned.

"Are you sure? I mean, won't it seem a bit strange, considering the fact I'm technically dead? I may lead the team, but don't forget that on all the paperwork, Dum Dum calls the shots."

"We've already had that discussion." Peggy chimed from her seat. "Only those who need to know will know your true identity. To anyone else, you're a distant relation of mine and we'll provide you a new identity if needed. Mostly, we want you to be our shadow; an elite agent who can do the missions no-one else can."

"That sounds a hell of a lot like the things HYDRA tried to force me to do."

Peggy didn't miss a beat, ignoring the suspicion in her friend's voice as she responded.

"I assure you it's not. You have total control over what you do. There will eventually be a day when none of us can run things and it will be a comfort to know that you'll be there to watch over SHIELD when we're gone."

Beth turned her head to the Colonel, who was shaking his head in amused disbelief at Peggy's bluntness.

"What kind of missions?" Beth demanded, still unsure.

"Extractions. Search and rescue. Same things as you do now. Just more discreet."

"As in a spy." She deduced, starting to feel like she was in a movie.

"Exactly."

She fell silent and looked at her current team. Only Jones caught her eye, giving her an encouraging smile and thumbs up. It wasn't much, but as Falsworth turned to nod at her and Dum Dum flashed one of his big toothy grins, she heard each of their unspoken messages loud and clear. _'It's time the Howling Commandos retired anyway, this just makes it official', 'We're with you no matter what',_ and her favourite _'Go kick some ass, kid'._

"I'm in." she declared, reaching for the hand Phillips was holding out for her.


	16. Breaking Inside

_Thank you to kuppcake for your review! I do have a few plans already showing the Howling Commandos in their later years and I hope you'll enjoy them._

 _Thank you to everyone for your favourites and adds! I appreciate every piece of positive news I get :)_

 _This chapter gets a bit deep as Beth reaches a breaking point and we get to see some of the pain she's held inside for so long come out. I hope you enjoy it._

 _ **May 5**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012\. Somewhere in the air over Pennsylvania**_

"So, you stuck with the Army for fifteen years and only got to the rank of Lieutenant?" was the teasing comment out of Steve's mouth when Beth finished her tale.

The boot she kicked at him almost succeeded in hitting his face.

"Punk. I was dead, remember? It's a bit hard to promote a corpse. When I was assumed dead, I didn't have an official rank like you and Bucky. Phillips was the one who demanded I be assigned a rank. He also tried to get you and Bucky promoted, but you'd both become synonymous with the ranks you already had, so his request was refused. The whole team rallied behind him, especially over Bucky. They all felt he deserved the same promotion as me."

Steve was touched, though the thought of their friends trying to bully the General of the United States Army had him chuckling.

"sometimes I forget just how hard headed they were. I can't believe they fought so hard for us even though they thought we were all dead."

"They loved us. We weren't just a team. We were a family. A dysfunctional one, but one anyway. When I came back, they took care of me, taught me how to function again and gave me a home. After I re-joined the team, Phillips even tried to have me promoted to a Major, but I refused it."

She could see the question burning in Steve's eyes, but he didn't ask it, choosing instead to keep the conversation light-hearted.

"I can't believe they were still fighting into their forties."

Beth sniggered, eyes shining in fondness as she thought about their friends. It was nice to talk about them with someone who was there with her at the time and knew them on that personal level.

"Yeah. Stubborn mules, the lot of them. Then again, look at Phillips. Seventy years old and the guy was still fighting even though he had to stop for breath every three seconds. Even on his deathbed, he was still trying to bark orders."

Steve could easily imagine that. As much as he and the Colonel clashed at the time, he held the other man in extreme regard and knew he'd never respect another man more.

"So what were your other questions?" Beth asked, breaking into his thoughts.

A masculine computerised voice spoke before Steve could.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we will be landing shortly. Mr Stark told me to tell you when you were near and to ensure he was awake."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up. Thank you Jarvis." Tony grumbled from his seat, sitting with a stretch and a groan.

"Later?" Beth said to Steve, not wanting him to feel she was ignoring his questions.

"Sure."

"So, you two get some of that tension out of your systems?" Tony asked as they began their descent.

Beth simply raised an eyebrow, almost smirking as he shrank back, raising his hands in self-defence. Steve watched their interaction, amazed at how easily she was able to pull Tony into line when up until now, he didn't think anyone would be able to.

"You really are like an aunt to him, aren't you?" he asked once they were on terra firma and Tony had gone his separate way.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I definitely see him as such, and judging by the fact he still calls me Aunt out loud, I'd say he feels the same. Don't forget, I've known him from the day he was born. After his parents died, we stopped speaking, but I think he's realised I still consider him family."

"I hadn't thought about that." Steve admitted, realising that for Tony, it must have been difficult to lose both his parents at the same time. Though he was aware it was Tony's own choice to cut ties with Beth, he could understand the older man's feelings towards Beth now.

A car emblazed with the SHIELD logo awaited them outside the airport, an agent Beth vaguely recognised leaning against it with a bored expression. The second he laid eyes on the pair, he snapped to attention.

"Captain, Agent Rogers. I've been asked to escort you to SHIELD headquarters."

"Thank you, Agent…?"

"Rumlow, sir. Brock Rumlow. It's an honour to meet you."

Steve flashed the agent a smile as he followed Beth into the vehicle. The journey took less than thirty minutes, but every time Beth looked up, she noticed Rumlow watching her. By the time they finally arrived, she was on edge and ready to snap. She slammed the car door shut behind her harder than strictly necessary, casting the agent a dark look as he continued to stare.

"Look pal, I'm getting tired of people giving me the eerie stare-downs. Do I have something on my face, or am I just that attractive that you can't keep your eyes away from my beauty?" she snapped, anger and sarcasm oozing from every word.

"Beth!" Steve scolded, shocked by her sudden change in attitude.

"My apologies, Agent Rogers. It's just that I've been working for SHIELD for almost ten years now and have seen you a number of times, but never connected your name to the little sister of Captain America. I'm sorry for staring, but I just can't get over the fact one of my childhood idols has been working near me for so long without me even knowing."

Beth didn't know whether to be flattered, ashamed by her malice, or even more creeped out by the fact his words seemed to crawl over her like insects. Something about him seemed off, a reaction she knew was completely inexplicable. With a sigh, she deflated as quickly as she'd blown up.

"Sorry Agent Rumlow. It's been a very crazy few days. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"No need for apologies ma'am. I could have been a bit more tactical."

He flashed her a smile and that was when she saw it. His eyes; almost identical to those belonging to one of her 'handlers' when she worked for HYDRA. She preferred to call them her torturers.

"No, I should apologise." She replied, her tone cautious as she began to notice other similarities such as the jawline and body structure. "I have to ask, are you a relation to a man called Fritz Gerbel?"

"No ma'am, I can't say I've heard the name before. My family are Irish and Algerian from what I know."

With those words, he was sliding back into the car and driving off after saying a brief goodbye to Steve. As soon as they were alone, Steve rounded on Beth.

"Mind explaining what that was about?"

"Not particularly." She shrugged, turning to make her way into the building.

Steve allowed her to go, until they were in the waiting area outside Fury's office. There, one of his hands shot out, gripping her arm tightly so she couldn't move. She tried to pull her arm free, but he wasn't having it, his fingers tightening to the point he'd be bruising her if she was still a normal person.

"Don't give me that. You all but ripped his head off. That's not like you at all."

A surge of anger gave Beth the strength to wrench herself free from his grasp with a growl. Without any warning, seventy years of pent up rage and hurt hit her, and just for once, she didn't bother to hold herself back. Channelling her inner Tony Stark-esque anger, she let rip.

"How do you know that Steve! How could you possibly know what is and isn't me anymore? You've been dead for almost seventy years, and believe me, that is plenty of time for a person to change! I've been through hell and back more times than you could begin to imagine while you took your little nap in the ice, which thank you for doing, by the way! I don't buy the crap you sell that it was the only way to save the world; you could have easily jumped out with a parachute and lived! No, you thought Bucky and I were dead and chose the cowards way out, following us instead of living the life we wouldn't have had ourselves! Not to mention the fact you all but ripped out and stomped on Peggy's heart!"

Steve looked like a puppy that had been kicked, but Beth couldn't stop. It was as if someone had turned the tap on full, with no way to turn it off again and all she could do was keep with the flow.

"I needed you so much when HYDRA had me and prayed every night for you to save me, but you weren't there and so I had to adapt. Did you know that when I was first rescued, I didn't sleep for a month because every time I did, I tried to kill someone? It took twenty-eight years to stop thinking that HYDRA was around every corner and okay, I had to occasionally take on missions that involved some nasty shit, but only because it was the ONLY way I could keep the murderous impulses those bastards planted in me under control."

Her voice began to tremble, but still she showed no signs of slowing down. All Steve wanted to do was hold her, but instinct told him she'd rip him apart if he tried. Standing there and letting her throw her words at him was the hardest thing he'd ever done, but he was determined to do it, because she was his sister and at that moment, she needed to let her anguish out more than anything else.

"For five years, I was tortured over and over again. Every time I tried to escape, every time they asked my name and I said Beth, every time I called for you or Bucky, they were there with a punishment. They forced me to kill, made me torture innocent people for their own sick pleasure and I did it because I knew what I'd face if I didn't. Originally, I thought they'd just kill me, but no, instead they'd just up their level of discipline until I fell back into line. That agent back there? He looked the almost spitting image of one of the HYDRA agents whose job was to deal out those punishments. Out of all of them, he was the one with the most creative ideas, and he was the one who almost broke me, because believe me, the things he came up with would make you scream at the thought. I became an emotionless robot, because it was the only way I could have survived that hellhole."

Her body began to tremble as the adrenaline fuelling her explosion began to wear off. When she spoke next, her voice was hoarse, her words choked.

"I may not be the sweet, kind and innocent Beth you knew, but I had no choice. After what they did to me, I found the only way I could cope was to switch off and push the world away. That's why I'm so close to Natasha and Clint. They understand that part of me still exists deep down, and they have completely accepted me for who I am. I may not be the woman I was when you went into the ice, but god dammit, I've tried so hard to bring her back, especially now you're here."

Her lip began to tremble, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I want so much to be that person again, but the truth is, I think about the things I used to do like dancing and sewing blankets, but when I try to tap into the part of me that is who I was then, I realise she just doesn't exist inside me anymore. Everything that she was; hopeful, carefree, innocent, happy, faithful, that's all gone. HYDRA took it from me, leaving a seed of darkness in its place and I'm exhausted from attempting to keep you from seeing that part of me because I know it will make you recoil and hate me."

The tremble from her lips had spread through her whole body, finally reaching her knees. It forced her to the ground, her legs failing to support her any longer.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending to be someone I'm not. I…I…just…"

Heaving sobs tore from her body, rendering her voice useless. She was barely aware of being crushed against a rock hard chest until she couldn't breathe properly, the words being spoken to her a garbled mess that made no sense. Time simply stood still as she released the anguish and terror she'd held inside for so long, oblivious to the second set of tears mixing with her own. All she could do was let it out, repeatedly sputtering 'I'm sorry' into the arms ensnared around her, holding on to her as if she were a lifebelt. She cried until she could physically cry no more, eventually slumping limply into the grip around her waist, the occasional breath shuddering through her body as she finally began to calm.

"Beth, look at me." Steve gently commanded once she stopped shivering against him.

She couldn't bring herself to lifting her head up, fear of rejection overriding logic and wrapping its icy tendrils around her heart.

"Please, Bethie." He pleaded, heartbreak lacing every syllable as he cupped her chin with one hand.

Slowly, torturously, she allowed him to tilt her head until she was facing him. Dull, haunted blue stared back at him, threatening to shatter him.

"I would never hate you. You're my little sister. You could be a raging lunatic and I wouldn't hate you. I love you, with all my heart. Nothing you could ever do would make me turn my back on you. Till the end of the line, remember?"

Those words combined with the intensity of his gaze would have had her in tears once more, if she physically had any left.

"Thank you." She managed to eventually whisper, her heart the lightest she'd felt in years. The dark part of her that was pain and suffering instantly began shrinking until it all but ceased to exist, but she knew all too well that it was still there, just waiting for a chance to swell again.

Steve said nothing, just continued holding her as he thought over her words. So many more questions came to his mind, but he forced them aside, focusing instead on the shaking woman in his arms. He couldn't fathom how she'd held all that anguish inside, though something told him it was more than likely she'd had a meltdown before. Her words had hurt, some of them truths he'd avoided, and some that made him think. Had a tiny, subconscious part of him dropped the plane into the ice because he actually wanted to die? It had all happened so fast at the time, but now he was beginning to wander.


	17. Agreements and Doubts

_Hey guys, so I apologise for my update delays recently. I currently work around 70 hours a week, so finding time to do much else than sleep on my days off is pretty hard! Hopefully things will settle down once November is out of the way!_

 _..._

"Captain, Agent. Thanks for coming" Fury's voice greeted, as if he hadn't just walked in to find two super soldiers crumpled on the floor with faces still marred with tears.

"Fury." Steve greeted back, sensing Beth needed a few more moments to compose herself.

"Do you need a bit longer, Agent Rogers?" Fury asked the woman, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"No thank you, sir. I'm okay." she managed to say quietly.

"Very well. If you'd both step into my office, then."

Steve helped Beth up off the floor before following the director. Beth took a few deep breaths, her legs still shaking as she shuffled in behind them. At that moment, she found herself wishing she could just collapse in bed and sleep for a week. However, she strongly doubted Fury would be impressed if she voiced her thought, especially as what he had to say was clearly urgent enough to drag them halfway across the country the day after everything they knew turned to Hell. Once in their seats, Fury pinned them with an unreadable gaze. It was one Beth knew well and as always, made her squirm in her seat, wandering not for the first time if this was how insects felt when placed under a microscope. Steve simply stared back, to all appearances by the untrained eye unfazed, but Beth knew him far too well enough to be able to spot the subtle twitch in the back of his jaw that betrayed his discomfort.

"I've had you both brought here because after yesterday's events, the world council had a meeting and have decided they want me to set up a new team within SHIELD; a special taskforce of sorts. And they want you," he said, pointing to Steve "to lead it. And you," the finger shifted over to Beth "to join him as second-in-command. Think you can both handle that?"

The siblings simply stared at him, matching blank expressions on their faces. Neither one sure what to say, his announcement the furthest thing they had believed the meeting could be about. Beth had been thinking she was going to be yelled at for slipping up her identity. Steve wasn't overly surprised he'd been asked to join SHIELD, but he'd been expecting some form of reprimand himself for the previous day's events. It was Beth who broke the silence, blinking slowly as Fury's words sank in.

"Are you sure about my involvement, sir? I would've thought you'd want me laying low for a while now the world knows who I am." Beth asked, genuinely believing he'd made some sort of mistake.

"Absolutely. You've always proven to be a good leader in the past, and the incident in New York even had me stumbling for a plan of action, so I won't be holding that against you. As for your identity, we'll have to work on that. The world knows who you are, yes, but they don't know your code name, which means we can still send you in when things turn to the shit and not risk your cover being blown."

Beth sank back in her seat, too stunned by the director's words to trust herself to speak. Not once in the 23 years she'd known him had he ever been so…understanding. It was unnerving her to say the least. Fury eyed both siblings as they fell silent, each with an identical expression of thoughtfulness that had the director hiding a smirk behind his folded hands.

"Taking this on will mean a relocation to D.C." he added after allowing them a few moments.

What he expected was for Steve to be reluctant to leave New York so soon after returning. So, when the Captain was the first to nod his head in consent while his sister simply sent him a half-hearted shrug, Fury found his face creasing into a frown.

"Agent Rogers?"

Bright blue eyes looked up at him, so many emotions swirling around it was impossible to isolate the overriding one.

"sorry. I guess I'd gotten used to being back in New York again. I'm happy to move to D.C, but not right away. Is there any chance we could remain in New York until the new year? Steve's only been back a few weeks, and honestly, I want to be selfish for once in my life and spend some time just with my brother."

She could feel Steve's gaze on her, his concern almost palatable. Fury considered the pair of them a few seconds, before making a decision he knew Alexander Pierce would NOT be happy with, but one he knew would be best all round for the Rogers siblings.

"Agent, Captain, I'm placing you both on leave from now until January. Cap, I suggest you take the time to adjust to being in the 21st century. See your old comrades, brush up on your history, that kind of thing. Rogers, I suggest you help your brother and take some time out for yourself. I have a feeling it's been a very long time since you last did that."

It had, and she knew it. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had time off to just relax. Unexpected panic began bubbling in her stomach; 7 months' free time? No missions, no responsibilities, just time for herself and Steve? She'd become so used to her bubble within SHIELD. She didn't know if she could truly do this.

As if reading her thoughts, one of Steve's hands reached out to take her own, their fingers intertwining. Her skin was cold and clammy against his, but when he squeezed her hand, she gave him a small smile.

"We'll be okay." He assured her.

She didn't reply, but a few seconds later, she turned back to Fury and nodded.

"Yeah, we will."

They vacated the office with a wave of Fury's hand, officially free to do as they pleased for the foreseeable future. As they stepped out into the light, Beth stretched, a tentative smile on her face as she continued fighting the anxiety within her.

"well, that was…unexpected."

She snorted, eyeing her brother with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah, no shit. Maybe it'll be a good thing for us though. I for one am not ready to embrace the life of a celebrity, nor do I want to change my identity and start flipping burgers. Doing this means we'll be continuing the work we did in the war, you know? It'll be nice for me not having to do spy stuff and assassinations all the time."

It was a deliberate choice of words, Beth's heart sinking at the look that crossed Steve's face. He gave a deep sigh before facing her, his eyes boring into her own with an intensity that made her want to start crying again.

"Is that why you're called Enigma?" he finally asked, something in him realising she'd deliberately worded herself in a way that would make him ask.

Instead of replying, she pointed to a park opposite them and began walking towards it. He didn't hesitate to follow as she paused to buy them a coffee and continued on until she'd found a secluded spot where they could sit and talk. She dropped onto the grass with a soft grunt, Steve's own drop a much softer landing. Only once she'd taken a sip from her drink did she begin speaking.

"Enigma is the name HYDRA gave me."


	18. The Answers to a Few Questions

_Hi guys,_

 _I am SO SORRY for how long it has taken me to update. I know there is no excuse, however I will say that between new jobs, moving to a new city and suffering with very severe migraines and depression, writing has been the furthest thing from my mind! I am slowly beginning to become myself again and so that means more chapters! I've almost completed this part of the saga now, with only 6 more chapters to go in this story before the start of CA:TWS, which I have been hyper to get out!_

Without further ado, here is the long awaited chapter. Once again I apologise and thank all of you who have expressed concerns about me and who have continued to support the story- you guys are simply amazing xxx

 _ **May 5**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012\. SHIELD HQ, Washington DC.**_

Steve was stunned, his jaw dropping so fast, it popped. Suddenly, her hatred to the name made all the sense in the world. He watched as her hands began to shake, her eyes clouding over with what he could only assume were the memories of what HYDRA did to her.

"Beth, you don't have to…"

"Yes, I do." She interrupted, her voice barely audible. "If we're going to start up a new team and have a seven-month break from everything, I want to do it with a smile on my face and an open conscious. That means telling you everything."

Her stubbornness didn't surprise him; after all, she was his sister and as Bucky had said a number of times, he was the "stubbornest punk I've ever met."

"Okay Beth. If that's what you want to do, then I'm here."

He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her when she leaned against him, understanding that she was needing to draw strength from him. She took a shuddering breath and began to speak.

"When I first woke, Zola told me you were dead and initially I refused to believe it. It wasn't until he showed me news footage and radio shows that it sank in. I think he was expecting me to fall apart like I did with Bucky, but for some reason, I just grew angry instead. Even when he told me that he'd planned on turning me into HYDRA's pet assassin, I didn't falter in my rage."

Steve's lips tightened at the thought of his little sister being subjected to such atrocities. Beth felt the tension in his body, but continued speaking, realising with a sudden surprise that it was actually making her feel lighter now it was all coming out. Maybe all those therapists she'd actively hidden from had been on to something all along after all.

"They tried so many things to make me submit to them. Most things would work for a while but then I'd become immune and start fighting back. That's when they'd bring in Gerbel. That man was both evil and a genius. When beating me didn't work anymore, he started on mental torture and drag you and Bucky into it. Nothing worked for long, until they began drugging me. I have no clue what it was, I just know it was powerful stuff that left me able to respond to orders but not much beyond that. They dubbed me 'The Enigma' because not only did they struggle to figure out how to control me, I was to be a mystery, something to both fear and be amazed by; an urban legend of sorts. As you know, I was only with them five years, but they made me kill and torture so many people. Men, women, they told me to do it and I'd do it, even as my mind tried to break under the force of fighting against it. I spent years trying to wash their blood off my skin, almost sending myself psychotic at one point."

Steve's arms subtly tightened, making her grateful for the serum at that moment as her ribs began tightening with every breath. She didn't say anything, simply pressed herself further into him.

"Then came the turning point; the point I think they realised they'd never be able to control me without completely breaking me. They sent me out to kill a family but though I killed the husband and wife, I refused to harm the child. I killed the HYDRA agents who were there to control me and helped the boy escape. When Zola and Gerbel found out what I'd done, the punishment was unlike anything I'd ever been through before or since. They strapped me to a table, poured a bucket of water over me, and proceeded to attach these small wires to my body. Then they turned on the machine the wires were attached to."

Rage flooded through Steve and at that moment he knew that if Zola was in front of him, he'd tear the man to pieces.

"I'm so sorry Beth."

"That's not the worst." She warned, struggling to keep her voice steady. "After shocking me, they bought a man into the room. I don't know who he was, I just know they kept his face covered and though I fought as hard as I could, I was no match for him. They all watched and leered as he forced himself on me."

She paused, sucking in a shaking breath as the memories began overwhelming her. Only Steve's arms locked around her kept her stable enough to continue.

"They made him rape me and I was just too weak to fight back. At the time I wanted to die. I felt that I was betraying Bucky and as he finished, I felt something die inside. For a moment, they'd finally won and destroyed me. They left me overnight and the next morning, I was presented with a random child off the street. A gun was placed in my hand and I was told to shoot her. I almost did it; for a split second, I wanted to just give in and let myself become the monster they wanted me to be, because at least then I wouldn't have to _care_ any more, but the moment I saw the fear in that child's face, I knew I couldn't do it. Instead, I turned the gun onto them and actually managed to shoot Zola in the leg. Their response was to slit that child's throat in front of me and leave her body in the cell to teach me a lesson. Zola vanished and a week later, I snapped Gerbel's neck and made my final escape. You know the rest of that story. The only reason that name is still used as my codename is because a lot of the underground know it, and they know that if Enigma is after them, they're dead. It just makes life a lot easier for SHIELD."

Her breath came out in haggard gasps, her body trembling harder against him and when Steve looked down at her, her eyes were filled with a horror he couldn't even imagine suffering. It bought tears to his own eyes as he tried to fight the image of his little sister being tortured and raped. His body quivered alongside hers as he fought his own torrent of emotions.

All Beth could do for a long time was simply sit in her brother's embrace as she fought the darkness that came with her memories, threatening to push her into the brink of insanity. With each breath she took, she felt it subside, leaving her feel lighter than she had in so long. When she finally stirred enough to extract herself from his grasp, their drinks had turned cold, the cups lying forgotten in the grass.

"For years I had night terrors. I even had a number of occasions where I'd forget where I was and start attacking people. The first time, I almost killed Jones and spent three months locked away as I couldn't trust myself around anybody. Falsworth was surprisingly the one that helped me snap out of it. He locked himself in the room with me until I eventually stopped screaming and trying to kill anything within any form of proximity to me. Now, I go years without one and even when I do have one, I can wake myself up before they get too deep."

"Except the first night after I came back." Steve commented, a glint in his eye that had Beth fighting a chuckle, something she never would have imagined herself doing so soon after stripping herself bare.

"Yeah. Except that night."

With a sigh, Beth stood, reaching a hand down to help Steve off the ground. As he brushed away the stray bits of grass and dirt from his trousers, Steve regarded Beth, noticing she was staring at the sky with a closed off, almost guarded expression.

"You know this changes nothing, don't you? You're still my annoying, pain in the ass, amazing little sister."

The relief on her face threatened to bring tears to his eyes, but he held them at bay. He felt torn between asking his remaining questions or not, until Beth solved the dilemma for him.

"Just ask. Like I said, I'd rather tell you everything I can now and then enjoy my time off." She quipped, her lips tugged up minutely.

"Did you ever find him? The man who…"

"Raped me?" Beth finished softly for him, understanding his hesitance to finish the question.

Steve nodded, not trusting his voice.

"No. I tried to find out who he was, but never was successful. Whenever I came close to finding out his identity, he would vanish. I heard whispers of a code name but like a ghost, I could never find any real evidence of that person existing. In the end I decided I could either let it consume me or move on with my life. I chose to move on."

He nodded, understanding her choice entirely.

"I only have a couple more. Firstly, only because it's been bugging me since you said it; why didn't you accept the Rank offered to you by the military? I know you said it was because you were technically dead, but I know you; there's more to it than just that, isn't there?"

She shrugged, a half-smile on her lips.

"Simple. I didn't want to outrank you."

Steve blinked, the simplicity of her reasoning a surprise. Eventually, he huffed a laugh before asking his final question.

"last one for now; have you ever thought about returning to medicine?"

A deep, pained darkness took over her gaze and he immediately wanted to take back his words. It was gone again almost as quickly, but when she spoke, her voice was raw.

"No. too many people I should have been able to save are now dead. Every time I think I can do it, I realise I can't. I don't trust myself to do it anymore; I've killed too many."

Steve knew she was also thinking of Coulson, the agent whose funeral would take place in the near future and whose blood had stained his sister's hands red through the battle in New York. He knew no words he could say would console her. Instead, he opted for simply nudging her and flashing her a smile when she glanced at him. She smiled back, leaning once more against him as they fell into a companionable peace, watching the world go about its business around them.


	19. More Reunions

_Hi Everyone. My sincerest apologies for not updating sooner. Last month, one of my cats knocked my laptop off my coffee table and has KO'ed the hard drive. Thankfully I've been told everything except my music can be recovered which I am eternally thankful for, but it has meant I've held up on updating as I didn't want to update and not be able to do so again for the next however long it takes to get a new computer (or how often I can borrow my houstemate's to write). So I will apologise for future delays but will work hard on not having them. I hope you enjoy this one. I'm not overly happy with it myself but I felt now is the right time for some beloved characters to make their return!  
_

 _ **June 1**_ _ **st**_ _ **2012**_

A loud sigh from the living room had Steve's eyebrow raising. Walking from the kitchen, he found himself fighting a grin to discover his sister hanging upside down off the side of the sofa, her legs kicking in the air as she gazed out of the window with a bored expression on her face.

"Everything okay?" he asked, barely suppressing his amusement.

Hearing the laughter in his voice, Beth cast him a dark glare and rolled her eyes.

"I'm bored."

"Yeah, I never would have guessed" he retorted dryly.

He almost failed to dodge the cushion she threw at him, her aim just as impeccable as normal despite being upside down. Still grinning as he reached to throw it back, he couldn't help but agree with her sentiment. Having time off was nice. Having time off with nothing to do made him almost wish he was back in the ice.

"What shall we do then?" he asked as he dropped onto the seat beside her.

A shrug followed by another sigh.

"How about a road trip?"

He said it jokingly, but when in a flurry of movement Beth righted herself and turned to him with eyes shining, he knew he had hit a winning idea.

"We could go see the team! You've been back a while, and they're desperate to see you!"

Suddenly, he wished he hadn't spoken. Seeing the flicker of uncertainty, Beth reached forward to take his hands in her own.

"It's okay if you'd rather not, especially as I know you aren't ready to face Peggy yet. However, it would be wonderful to see Jones and Dum Dum wouldn't it? We could even take a flight out to see Dernier!"

Despite his reservations, Steve found himself smiling at her enthusiasm, a small part of him even beginning to agree that it was a good idea. After all, their friends were elderly now. Who knew how many chances he'd get to see them again?

"Okay Beth, let's do it."

…..

 _ **June 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **2012\. Macon, Georgia**_

Any and all nerves Steve had dissipated the moment he was greeted with two pairs of tearful eyes. Though aged and wrinkled, there was no denying the bushy moustached grin of Dum Dum and the chocolate brown eyes of Jones. He was crushed in between them before he had a chance to mutter a word, their strength surprising him. He didn't hesitate to return the embrace, knew his own tears were mixing with theirs and somewhere behind him, Beth was no doubt crying tears of her own. Sure enough, when they separated, Beth was wiping her eyes, her phone lowering from where she'd been taking photos of their reunion.

"It's damn good to see you Cap." Were the choked words out of Dum Dum's mouth, as Jones simply chose to slap him once more on the back, still too emotional to speak.

The next few hours consisted of being introduced to the numerous members of family belonging to Jones and Dum-Dum, with Steve nervously saying hello as Beth embraced people she'd known their whole lives. Standing back to watch as the friends eventually sat on a couch together, Beth couldn't help the borad smile blooming on her face, a well of warmth pooling in her stomach when two hours later the pair of ex-commandos had yet to release Steve. She knew why; it was the same reason she found her eyes drifting to him every few seconds whenever they were in the same room. Disbelief that he was truly there and doubt that he would be there the next time she looked. Whenever he did vanish from sight, even now, a moment of panic would overcome her until he returned. The reaction was slowly lessening as time went by, but as far as she was concerned, seventy years without him gave her a free reign to worry.

"It's truly a miracle, isn't it?"

The soft voice would've made Beth jump if she hadn't heard the equally gentle footsteps approaching. Smiling, she accepted the coffee being held out with an appreciative nod.

"It is. To think that after all this time they can slide back into a conversation as if it was only yesterday they saw each other last."

Eleanor Dugan sent the younger woman a look that was equally motherly and understanding.

"Honestly, I'm just happy to know that you'll have someone there for you after we've gone."

The weight of the elderly woman's words had Beth pulling her attention completely away from the three men for the first time that day.

"Something to tell me Ellie? That sounded very much like a loaded statement."

Warmth sparkled in the hazel of the other woman's eyes.

"I knew you would pick up on it. It was slightly loaded. Neither of us are young. I'm almost ninety-three and Timothy is ninety-seven. It won't be too long before we aren't here anymore and though you've made other friends, I know that to lose the last of the people who have been with you these past decades would destroy something in you. I'm just…so glad to know you won't be alone."

Beth couldn't speak past the lump in her throat and when Steve cast her a questioning glance a moment later she didn't hesitate to walk over and wrap her arms around Dum Dum and Jones.

"I love you guys, you know that, right?" she asked, the lump becoming more prominent as they immediately pulled her closer to them.

"We know Darlin'. We love you too."

"Love you too sweetheart."

Steve looked between the hugging group and over at Dum-Dum's wife, his mind clicking what had clearly choked Beth up. When she extracted herself from their friends, he pulled her into an embrace of his own, his arms a comfort that allowed two tears to fall down her face. It was another sign that she was still his baby sister deep down and the thought tugged at his heart and he cradled her against his chest long after her tears dried.


	20. Happy Birthday, Steve

_Hi everyone, I am so sorry for this ridiculous delay! A lot has been happening in the past few months- I lost my job, then struggled with severe depression and now I'm doing my master's degree, starting a new job and have recently moved in with my boyfriend, so things have been pretty hectic! I've had flu for the past two weeks, which has actually been a blessing as it means I've been writing again. I sincerely hope you enjoy this. There are only a few more chapters to go until we reach story 3!_

 _Thanks to all of you for your patience!_

 _ **...**_

 _ **July 4**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012\. Avengers Tower, New York**_

Steve and Beth's visit to France went as well as their visit to Georgia, with the exception that Dernier announced it would be the final time they saw him as he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer a month earlier. It sent both siblings into a depression, though Dernier, Jones and Dum Dum had broken them out of it quickly with the reminder that they would still have each other.

Steve was yet to feel ready to face Peggy, Beth reassuring him that it was okay and that as they'd stayed out of the spotlight since New York, it was almost certain she wouldn't even remember he was alive. Beth knew it only partially reassured him, but at that moment she'd take what she could get.

As for Beth, she had finally accepted that her brother wasn't going anywhere soon and had stopped seeking him out any time he was in close proximity to her. Sure, she still cast the occasional glance, but deep down, she knew that was a habit she was unlikely to ever grow out of. She knew it was the same for Steve, her brother never failing to seek her out the moment he knew he was in the same building as her.

At that particular moment, they were sat together on one of the couches, Beth with her headphones in her ears and a book in her hands, Steve with his sketchpad. Neither had acknowledged the date, Steve preferring to not draw attention to it and Beth happy to keep him happy. The day was perfect.

Until…

"Hey, uh, Capsicle? Am I right in the fact that as well as it being July 4th, it's also your birthday?"

Steve immediately grew tense as four pairs of eyes turned to him and next to him, Beth groaned, burying her head in her book in an effort not to throw it at her less than subtle godson.

"I take it by your reactions that means a yes." The billionaire added, a grin beginning to spread on his face.

Recognising the look on Tony's face, Pepper frowned.

"Tony…no."

Tony ignored his girlfriend, the grin growing even wider as he snapped his fingers.

"Party! That's what we need."

"Tony, we're already having a barbecue and fireworks tonight." Beth countered, trying to veer him away from his crazy ideas.

"Nope. Party. Full blown."

Sighing, Beth shook her head in defeat. As Tony began a list of all the things he had to do to prepare, Steve stood from the sofa and silently left the room with an indescribable expression on his face.

"What's with him?" Tony asked.

Beth opened her mouth to speak, only to be beaten by Pepper as she strode across the room to poke her boyfriend in the chest.

"What's wrong is you, you moron! It's the first birthday he's had since waking up, did you really think he'd be overjoyed about it? He's spent the past seventy years on ice and now he has to accept the fact that he will be spending his birthday without pretty much everyone he had before."

"He has us" Tony argued, but even he knew it was a weak response.

Beth snorted as she stood to follow Steve. She paused at the doorway to give Tony a saddened look.

"He may have us, but he doesn't have Bucky. He doesn't have Peggy. He doesn't have his family. Think about that."

Beth found Steve in his room, a vacant expression on his face as he stared down at the city below. She knew all too well that he wasn't taking in anything going on, his mind elsewhere.

"Let's go for a walk." She prompted her brother, gently nudging him towards the door.

They never spoke the whole time they were out, and as the noon sun gave way to the afternoon, Steve wordlessly turned back to the tower, Beth following worriedly behind.

It wasn't until they reached the main living area that Beth became aware of how quiet the place was.

"I don't trust this."

Beth nodded, agreeing with her brother. Before she had a chance to vocalise anything, the door opened, the room filling with the sounds of sixty-year-old music. Eyes widening, Beth stepped forward as Tony walked out, looking so much like his father in his 1940s clothing she had to look again to make sure it wasn't really Howard standing there.

"What is this, Tony?" Steve asked, his voice tired in a way that had Beth's brow creasing worriedly.

"Well, a few people spoke to me about my behaviour earlier and made me reevaluate the whole big birthday bash thing. As a wise woman told me, you have lost almost everything you knew. So, I decided that as you guys can't go back to the 1940's, the 1940's can come to you. But before you go in, you need to get changed."

Steve found himself being ushered away by his friend, glancing over his shoulder to see Beth fondly shaking her head in bemusement at her godson before she turned to her own room. Once there, she discovered Tony had been busy in the hours the siblings had been out, and her eyes glazed as she laid eyes on a cherry red dress, so similar to the clothing she wore back when she was still a young, carefree woman who was in love with an equally young, carefree man. She ran a hand over the fabric, the ghosts of the past whispering in her ear. She took a shaky breath, for a moment wondering if she could face wearing something like this again, as it had been almost 50 years since she had. Eventually, she reminded herself that this was for Steve, so she swallowed her feelings and began to get ready. The dress fit beautifully, swishing around her knees like water. The sides were gathered, and smoothed at the front in a simple, yet flattering way. A sweetheart neckline completed the dress, and a simple pair of black heels with a strap on the ankle completed the ensemble. When it came to her hair, it was like her hands went to autopilot, twisting and setting into place like it was only yesterday she'd done it last. Finally, she was ready, and as she looked into the mirror, it was like an echo was staring back at her. She didn't look for long, knowing the party was waiting for her and knowing that if she stayed too long, she would lose herself to memories she wasn't prepared to lose herself to tonight.

As reluctant as she was to wear her outfit, Beth's heart immediately melted as she stepped into the room. It truly was as if they had indeed been transported back to the 40's. Everyone was there, dressed in their finest, with smiles on their faces. Even Steve was smiling, his hair styled exactly as she remembered it. He looked over at her as she entered, his smile faltering. She knew exactly what he saw; his baby sister as she was back before everything. The same thing she initially saw herself. Smiling at her brother, she walked over to him and nudged him in the side.

"You don't have to look so full of pity Steve. This is who I was, and as much as I sometimes miss her, I could never go back to being her. I've made peace with that."

"You know what, I think I have too."

Beth's smile widened as she embraced him, planting a kiss on his cheek that he protested against as her lipstick marred the skin. Smirking, she moved away to grab herself a drink, ignoring the appreciative glances she knew she was getting from a couple of the agents invited along. One of them in particular was Brock Rumlow, his gaze making Beth's skin crawl despite the fact she'd now known him a few months and he was assigned to the team she and Steve were going to be leading when they finished their leave. Something about him set her off, mostly that she couldn't shake how similar he was in both looks and mannerisms to the guard she'd been tortured by for so long at HYDRA.

"You look beautiful tonight, ma'am."

"Thank you, Rumlow. You look very dapper yourself." she responded, spiders crawling up her spine as he took her hand and kissed it.

"Save me a dance?" he asked, eyes glinting in a way that was far too uncomfortable for Beth's liking.

"I'm sorry, but I don't dance."

As she started to move away, his hand grabbed her elbow halting her movements.

"A drink then."

Gritting her teeth at his stubbornness, but unwilling to cause a scene, she placed her free hand on his wrist and began to squeeze until she saw a wince appear on his face. Pulling him closer to her, she kept her voice low as she hissed.

"The only reason I'm not knocking you across the room right now is because of Steve. Now, I suggest you remove your hand, find an excuse to leave, and when we work together, you will take my orders and not speak to me other than to say 'yes ma'am'. Do I make myself clear, Agent?"

At first, she thought he would protest, forcing her to actually hit him, but after a few tense moments, his jaw clenched.

"Yes ma'am."

Satisfied, she released him, uncaring as he rubbed the skin on his wrist.

"Good. Leave."

She didn't wait to see if he followed the order. Her mind was firmly on the bar and finding the strongest thing on the shelf.

"Mind explaining what that was about?" Clint asked as he handed her the bottle of whiskey he'd 'rescued' from the top shelf an hour earlier.

"Just an idiot who doesn't take no for an answer but thankfully takes orders." she replied, watching Rumlow carefully as he slid out of the room with a glower on his face.

Clint snorted besides her and accepted the bottle she returned to his grasp. An hour later as they were ushered to the balcony for the evening's fireworks display, he was all but skipping on booze, Beth sniggering as she followed him, her metabolism too fast for the alcohol to have any effect. She found herself standing next to Steve as the first bangs erupted in the sky, carefully watching him for any signs of PTSD from the lights and explosions. She'd seen and experienced it enough herself to know that for many veterans, July 4th was a huge trigger, and she couldn't forget that to her brother, it had only been weeks since he was in the middle of World War 2.

"I'm okay, Beth. I love fireworks, remember?"

She did, the memory of spending many July 4th celebrations curled up in the blanket their mom made when she was a baby, sitting in between her mother and brother as a child, then Bucky and Steve as an adult sipping on cocoa as they watched the local firework display light up Brooklyn sending a warmth through her. It had taken some time to enjoy it again after losing her family, but now, with Steve next to her and her new family around her, she was content.

By the time the last guest left the building, Clint had passed out on the couch, with a half-sleeping Natasha next to him, her feet propped up on Bruce's lap. Tony was still nursing his bottle of vodka while Pepper gently tried to pry it away from him, and Rhodey laughed at the pair of them as they struggled.

"Cap! Presents!" Tony slurred, managing to detach himself from Pepper and stumble over to the surprised man.

"Tony, you shouldn't have…"

"Nonsense! So, what do you want? I can call to have a woman delivered within the next hour? Or maybe a new car?"

"Okay, Tony. stop there." Beth interjected, before he could go further.

Her godson's response was to huff, before snapping his fingers with an idea.

"Dad had an old motorcycle that he built shortly before he died. I remember him saying you preferred motorcycles, so that will be my gift to you. I'll find the keys in the morning."

Beth placed a hand on Steve's arm before he could protest, shaking her head.

"Just say thanks and accept it."

With a sigh, Steve did exactly that and Beth smiled. Reaching down, she picked up a small box she'd stored behind the couch and held it out to him.

"It's not much, but I thought it might help you to keep track of everything."

Inside was a small notebook and pen, one he could easily carry around with him. He opened it, to reveal a timeline she'd written on the first page of the major historical events he'd missed being in the ice.

"It's to write the things you need or want to know about. For example, the moon landing needs to go on there."

And of course, for the next hour, their friends made suggestions to be added to the list, until Steve began to feel slightly overwhelmed by it and decided to call it a night. As he hugged Beth to say both thank you and goodnight, she gave him a warm smile.

"I hope this wasn't too bad for you."

"You know what? For all he's inconsiderate at times, when he gets it right, Tony really does get it right. I'm really grateful for him doing this. I think it's helped me celebrate."

Kissing him once more on the cheek, Beth headed to her room, though she knew it would be an unsettled night for her. As she entered, her reflection stared back at her once more, drawing her closer to it. For a brief moment, she could almost reach out and touch that girl she'd once been, embrace her once again, but she didn't. She knew she could never be that girl again. She gave her reflection one final, saddened glance, sending the woman she'd once been a silent apology as she reached to begin unzipping her dress. The last thing she did before letting her hair down was make a promise to herself.

She may never be able to go back to being that girl again, but she would find a way to bring some of that girl into the woman she was now.


	21. The Mandarin

_**Exciting News!** After this, there is only 1 more chapter until we begin Story 3 in the series, which I have decided will be titled Some Bonds Can Be Forgotten. Hopefully that will give you a clue as to what is coming up ;). ALSO, I have decided to not follow Age of Ultron, except as possible flashbacks. As much as I enjoyed watching the film, I know I will struggle to fit Beth in, same as I did in this story. _

_Enjoy, and hopefully by the end of next week, story 3 will be up and running!_

 _ **December 23**_ _ **rd**_ _ **2012, Baghdad, Iraq.**_

Beth had turned down both the army and SHIELD in the search of the Mandarin. She was enjoying the first break in seventy years from the blood and violence, and the longer she spent away from it, the more she slowly began to understand who she was again.

Then, the world began turning to shit once more.

...

It all changed when her phone lit up at 3am three days previously, rousing her from her dreams. Her eyes creased into a frown as she read Tony's name across the screen.

"Tony, it's 3am." She moaned, voice gravelly with sleep.

"I need your help."

Something in his tone had her snapping to fully awake in an instant. Sliding out of bed, she padded out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Her gut told her she was going to need a lot of it.

"Happy's in hospital. The last Mandarin attack was aimed at him, at me. I think I'm in trouble, aunt Beth. I didn't want to ask, but I'm desperate, and you're one of the only people I trust."

So many emotions washed over her, but she was already back in her room getting dressed before he'd finished speaking.

"I take it you're at the hospital in Malibu now?" she asked.

"Yeah, but not for long. I'm heading back to my place soon to start putting the pieces together and find this son of a bitch."

"Well, do me a favour and get one of your fancy private and untraceable jets to pick me up at JFK in an hour?"

"Done. Thanks, Aunt Beth."

She ended the call with a heavy heart. She'd only met Happy the once, but any idiot could tell he was one of the few people Tony considered a genuine friend. The coffee finished brewing just as she stepped out of her room complete with her go-bag and she was quick to fill up her travel mug. Her movements must have woken Steve as he appeared in the doorway, eyes barely open with sleep. He took in the fact she was dressed with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Pepper's bodyguard who happens to be a friend of Tony's is in hospital and it's linked to the Mandarin. Tony's asked me to help."

Beth recognised his expression as the one he used when he was about to disagree with something he didn't want her to do, but when he did speak, she found herself surprised.

"Need an extra person helping?"

She didn't let her shock show, but Steve read it in her body, her back slowly straightening as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. When it became clear he was genuinely offering to help, she shook her head.

"I appreciate it and so will Tony, but this is going to need a stealthier approach than you're used to."

"Okay, but you call me the second you need any backup, you got it?"

Warmth bloomed in her chest at the trust and faith he had in her and she stepped forward to hug him briefly.

"I will do. It shouldn't be too difficult to track this guy."

….

At that moment, Beth couldn't resist cursing herself for famous last words, as yet another lead turned out to be false. Whoever this guy was, he was doing a better job than anybody she'd ever known at keeping himself hidden. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she entered her hotel room and absentmindedly switched the TV on before grabbing her phone to let Tony know the lead was a bust. She'd barely lifted the device to her ear when she paused, her eyes catching sight of an explosion on the screen. The phone dropped to the floor as she watched Tony's home plunge into the sea below, the headline declaring him presumed dead.

"Tony…"

Her throat constricted. Within seconds, she was a blur as she packed up her belongings and swiped her cell up off the floor. She didn't know who to call first; Steve, Pepper, Fury, Rhodey, Pierce, Tony...the list went on.

Her dilemma was solved as she felt a vibration in her hand, the number one she didn't recognise.

"Hello?"

"Hey Aunt Beth."

She almost dropped the phone again. Though wheezing and clearly in pain, it was definitely Tony speaking.

"Oh my god, you scared me half to death. Are you okay? Where are you? What happened?"

He chuckled, though it cut off with a groan that had Beth frowning as she made her way through the hotel to the nearest exit.

"One question at a time, Jeeze. I'm okay, for the most part. Look, I'm just calling to say I'm alive, but nobody can know. If I want to catch this guy, I need to be dead."

Beth didn't miss a beat as she made her way to her car.

"Understandable. Anything I can do to help?" she asked, adjusting her words so the people around her didn't suspect anything amiss.

"If there's any way you can find information on a project called EXTREMIS and the possible location of anyone affiliated with it, I'd be grateful. From what I can tell, the military and even possibly SHIELD is involved. Just, don't get caught. Please."

It wasn't every day Tony Stark pleaded with anyone, but he couldn't risk putting Beth in danger. As much as he found himself disliking Steve, he did love Beth like she was his aunt, and wanted her to have happiness, including this Christmas. Like hell he was going to keep her away from that.

"Okay, I promise. I'm headed to the airport now and will do what I can about the information you need."

Tony sucked in a thankful breath. With both Beth and Rhodey on his side, he knew it wouldn't take long to crack this one.

"I'll call you in six hours for anything you've got." He promised.

"If you don't, I'm coming to find you. Stay safe."

He ended the call without another word, leaving Beth standing next to her car with a look of worry on her face, her heart slamming painfully in relief against her ribs. She slid into the driver's seat, resting her head on the wheel to collect her thoughts. Calling anyone from SHIELD for help was a no-go. Steve would be practically useless, after all, he still didn't understand how to work the microwave despite being shown a hundred times, let alone work a computer. Rhodey was likely being watched, so he was out. Pepper too. That left her on her own for this one. It didn't bother her too much, but she was slightly uncomfortable as there was one part of her she'd managed to retain through the years that preferred someone watching her back.

"Well, better get on with it then Beth." She muttered to herself as she began making her way to the airport.

As she made her way to the information desk, she prepared an explanation for needing to return to the USA a day earlier than her return flight stated, but the assistant behind the desk simply smiled and placed her ticket in the trash can.

"You won't need that ma'am. A private jet has been requested for you from an anonymous benefactor."

Thanking the miracle that was Tony Stark, Beth practically skipped to the plane, where she was greeted by none other than Colonel James Rhodes, still wearing his War Machine suit. He smiled at her as she approached, lifting his arm to wave her over.

"Hey Rhodey, long time no see."

"Three years. You're really bad at communication."

"I'll make sure you get a Christmas card next year."

"Better have a picture of you wearing the most embarrassing sweater ever or it doesn't mean squat to me."

Beth snorted and they shared matching grins as she stepped onto the plane. Rhodey handed her a laptop case, his expression turning serious.

"Nobody can trace this. But, destroy it anyway, just as an extra precaution."

Beth nodded as she took the bag. Within seconds, Rhodey was flying away and Beth was settling into her seat, barely aware of the plane taking off as she opened the computer. Her phone buzzed once more, but she ignored it after glancing down to see it was Steve. Her will only lasted a few seconds before she picked it up and sent her brother a message.

'I'm okay, no I don't need your help, explain more when I'm home. Love you.'

A beep sounded within a minute and Beth couldn't help but smirk as she read the reply in the disapproving tone she knew Steve would have if he'd been in front of her.

'Fine, but you WILL explain. Love you too. Don't get hurt or I'll kill you myself.'

Placing the phone to one side, she turned her focus back to her computer and the task set by Tony. It didn't take long before she was logged in to the SHIELD database, using Clint's credentials initially before switching to the hacking skills taught to her by Howard and Tony many years ago to enter the files she knew belonged to Alexander Pierce. If anyone had information on this EXTREMIS project, it would be him. She knew it was a risk, but her instincts to protect her family were stronger than the care she had for her job, or her life, should the head of SHIELD be in a particularly bad mood. Her search turned up nothing and she breathed a sigh of relief. At least this time, SHIELD wasn't to blame.

Her phone stayed quiet until an hour before landing. Her stomach plummeted when she realised the number was not from Tony, but rather, someone she'd rather not have to face. Fear also began to bloom; how on earth had she been discovered so quickly when she'd used techniques that should've made her undetectable?

"Hello Sir."

"Miss Rogers. Would you care to explain why you have been seen working alongside the military on the Mandarin case when you are not currently on active duty?" came Alexander Pierce's voice, his tone clipped.

She could have cried from the relief that he hadn't caught her snooping around his servers.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but officially, I'm not. I was asked by a friend if I would be happy to use some of my skills to help resolve an issue, and I agreed. It did mean crossing paths with Colonel Rhodes, however in no capacity am I working officially with him."

Before he could answer, her phone beeped to indicate another caller. Knowing she was going to be in deep shit, she hung up on the SHIELD head, switching to the other line.

"Did you find anything?" Tony asked, sounding more stressed than before.

"SHIELD's clean. Any luck your end?"

"Yeah. It's a shit storm."

"Sure you don't need my help?" she offered, ignoring the fact her phone was beeping, no doubt Pierce attempting to reach her and demand an explanation for her disrespect.

"Nah, it's fine. I have a plan. I think."

Beth's eyes narrowed.

"Tony…"

"Seriously Aunt Beth, I'll be fine. Enjoy your Christmas with Capsicle. I'll call if I get desperate, okay?"

"Fine." She relented. "But you let me know as soon as you're in the clear or I will reopen that wormhole and throw you in it myself, got it?"

She didn't fail to notice the hitch in his breath at the reminder of what happened in New York but before she could say anything to probe him further, he made a hasty promise and hung up on her, leaving her cursing a blue streak that would make even the most hardened sailor blush.

….

It was two days later that she finally heard from Tony. She'd followed the news, seen that he was okay and saved the day, but it didn't still the cascade of worry in her stomach until a familiar beep sounded through the house.

'Told you I had a plan' was all the message said.

"Damn it Tony." She grumbled, a smile playing on her lips as she placed her phone back in the drawer.


	22. Christmas Wishes

_Oh my, here we are. Last chapter! I will also be uploading chapter one in the next story tonight as well because I am so excited!_

 _ **December 24**_ _ **th**_ _ **2012, Brooklyn, New York.**_

It was the first time in years that Beth felt truly happy at Christmas. Usually, she'd hobbit herself away, or fly out to a country that hadn't even heard of the word, but not this year. Instead, she stood at the window of the apartment she shared with Steve, watching the large snowflakes as they danced across the streets of New York. A content smile stretched across her face as she brought her steaming mug of chocolate to her lips. Warmth seeped through her from both the drink and her navy blue snowflake covered pyjamas as she gazed out at the city she called home. In the background, she could hear Guy Lombardo's Winter Wonderland playing quietly and began to hum along to the music.

"Even before I went into the ice, it had been years since I heard you sing." Steve said as the music faded into Vera Lynn's melodic vocals.

Beth turned from her spot to see her brother standing in the doorway, hair wet and face flushed from his walk in the snow, his eyes sparkling with joy. She thought back to the time he was too sickly to venture out into the cold, even though he did so anyway, to the chagrin of their mother. It was usually Bucky who'd marched him home each time, and as Steve would collapse into bed with the start of his newest chest infection or cold, Beth would offer the other male a cup of coffee and a towel. Even now, it was reflex to look behind Steve for Bucky's grinning face.

"I didn't have much reason to." She admitted with a shrug as she tried to shake off the ache of not having Bucky with them.

Steve pushed himself off the door frame on the heel of her words, seeing the pain in the depths of her eyes he knew was from the same hole in his own life. The hole that Bucky had filled and who nobody would come close to filling again. She didn't protest when his arms came round her shoulders, allowing him to pull her into his chest. They were silent for a long time, lost to their own thoughts as they gazed outside.

"Hey, remember the time mom forgot it was Christmas Eve?"

Beth sniggered. Of course she remembered. She remembered everything.

"Yeah, and we ended up volunteering at the church the next day so we'd get some turkey."

She felt Steve nod, his shoulders shaking slightly with laughter.

"And the time you got drunk and spent Christmas day with your head in a bucket whilst Bucky

and I waved food under your nose to torment you." Beth grinned.

"I knew it was you as well! Bucky always said it was just him!"

Beth couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look on her brother's face. Of course Bucky hadn't ratted her out. Loyalty was one of the things she'd loved most about him.

"Uh-huh. Mom told us to stop, but we caught her doing the same thing only an hour later. If I recall, she told us that maybe it would teach you a lesson about getting drunk the night before Christmas, especially knowing your penchant for conjuring illness."

Steve blinked a few times before laughing. It didn't surprise him in the least that Sarah Rogers would do something like that; after all, Beth was the one who took after her most.

"I miss them." Beth whispered shortly after they'd settled into peace again.

"I know. I do too."

As he rubbed soothing circles on her back, Steve found himself blinking back tears of his own.

"We should go and pay our respects." He suggested.

Beth nodded against his chest and a few moments later the pair braved the deepening snow to walk to the cemetery. Steve was surprised to find their parents graves cleaned and covered in flowers. Next to him, Beth smiled.

"I've been keeping an eye on them, but the locals know who their son is and pay their own respects. There used to be a headstone for you too, but the week after you came back I had it removed."

Steve didn't fail to notice that her voice grew thick with emotion, but he knew she wouldn't want him drawing attention to it. instead, he looked around, heart clenching as his eyes landed on a set of graves a few metres from where they stood. Beth glanced curiously at him as he left her side, softening when she realised where he was going. Silently, she followed, her arm snaking around his waist as his shoulders began to shake.

"I didn't even think about this." He admitted, voice thick with emotion.

Beth felt her own eyes well as she swept over the headstones of Amelia, Reginald and Becky Barnes. Bucky's parents had died back in the 1970s, Becky in 2008.

"Did they know about you?"

Beth nodded, not quite trusting her voice. She took a few steady breaths as her eyes fell onto the headstone beside Becky, the inscription read so many times it was burned into her eyes.

James Buchanan Barnes

'BUCKY'

MARCH 10TH 1917 – January 12th 1945

BELOVED SON, BROTHER, FRIEND AND FIANCE

LOYAL, JUST, STRONG AND TRUE

HE SAVED US ALL

"I couldn't have lived with myself if they believed I was dead too. Reginald died of heart failure and Amelia of a stroke seven years later. Becky started with a chest infection that developed into pneumonia. I stayed with her and her daughter until it was time. I knew Bucky would have been there if he could have."

Steve's hand slid into her own and she squeezed so tightly, he winced, the bones grinding. He didn't tell her to loosen up, knowing she needed him to keep her grounded.

"I'm so sorry Beth. I should have been there with you."

"But then I wouldn't have you with me now. Plus, I'm sure they're all looking down on us right now with smiles on their faces."

"Yeah."

Beth didn't need to look up to know her brother was crying freely. She simply moved so she was snuggled against him and in that moment, they allowed themselves to simply be themselves. Not avengers. Not super soldiers. Not heroes. Simply Beth and Steve.

A noise from nearby drew their attention to the present, both looking behind them to see a boy around the age of eight staring up in wonder at Steve.

"Jake?" Beth asked, recognising the child.

"Auntie Beth!" he squealed, launching himself into her arms.

She caught him in a bear hug, planting kisses anywhere she could as he squealed and tried to squirm out of her grip. Nearby, she heard a feminine chuckle and turned her blue eyes to a late middle aged woman and a man in what appeared to be in his mid-thirties. Beth gently placed Jake back onto the floor with a rustle of his sandy coloured hair before hurrying to the others and putting one arm round each of them.

"I had a feeling you'd be here today." The lady spoke as Beth released them.

Beth gave a fond smile before realising Steve was watching them in barely refrained curiosity.

"Oh, Steve! I'd like you to meet Amelia, Becky's daughter, and her grandson Matthew." A tug on her pant leg had her grinning. "Oh, and of course, we can't forget this little dude now can we? This munchkin is Jake, Becky's great-grandson."

Steve stepped forward, as much in awe of Bucky's last living relatives as said relatives were of him. they'd grown up knowing of him, but Beth guessed that seeing him in person was much different to simply hearing about him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Steve greeted.

"The pleasure is all ours. All my life I was told stories of you and my uncle. It's nice to finally meet one of you, as impossible as that even sounds."

Beth grinned as Steve fell into an easy conversation with the two adults. Beth glanced over at the child she looked to as a nephew, to see him standing uncharacteristically shyly to one side. She crouched down so she was eye level with him ,subtly nudging Steve at the same time to gain his attention.

"Jake, look at me."

She waited until his deep blue eyes connected with her own, a split-second jolt running through her, the similarity between his and his great-great uncle's gaze uncanny. She gave a warm smile, sensing he was a little bit star-struck.

"Would you like to meet Captain America?" she asked quietly.

A tiny nod from the eight-year-old was her response. Her eyes crinkled as she turned herself so she was behind him. A brief hand signal had Steve also crouching, his face warm as he looked at the young boy.

"Hey buddy. Did you know your uncle Bucky was my best friend? You know, that makes you my friend too."

Beth couldn't see Jake's expression, but from the amusement on Steve's, she assumed it was one that was a perfect picture shot.

"Really?" Jake asked, unable to believe Captain America of all people would call him a friend.

"Absolutely. In fact, it makes you my new best friend. What do you say pal?"

As Jake launched himself at Steve, Beth picked herself up and stood next to Matthew and Amelia who watched the exchange with matching smiles.

"Has he always been so good with children?" She asked Beth.

Beth shook her head, eyes shining fondly as Jake began telling Steve all about his other friends and how jealous they would be to know that Captain America was now his 'bestest friend in the whole wide world'.

"Not a chance. He was terrible around them, never knowing what to say or do and usually making a fool of himself when he tried. He was the same with woman, completely clueless. Bucky was the one who was amazing with both. Stick him in a room with a baby, child or woman and within five minutes they'd be all over him as he made them feel they were the centre of the universe."

The wistful tone in her voice had Amelia blinking back tears. She'd seen and heard Beth talk about Bucky a number of times before, but this was the first time she'd seen the young woman speak about the man she loved without any pain in her voice, only love. Sensing his mother needed a moment, Matthew was the one to respond.

"He seems to be doing okay with Jake."

"Only because I'm here to help if he gets stuck." She said with a grin.

Steve glanced over at the group as they burst out laughing, but he didn't ask. He was just happy to see Beth smiling and turned his attention back to the boy in front of him.

The siblings stayed with the small family for a few moments, until the air temperature began to drop and Amelia began to shiver. Knowing it wouldn't be long before Jake too got cold and began complaining, they said their goodbyes and after promising to visit soon, left them to pay their respects to their relatives.

"Bucky would be so proud of Becky. She's raised a beautiful family."

"She certainly has." Beth agreed. "Come on, let's head home."

That evening was spent drinking cocoa, watching movies, Beth insisting on introducing her brother to the Muppet's Christmas Carol, and reminiscing on Christmases growing up. But Beth didn't care about any of that. Simply having her brother there? It was perfect.

…

 _ **New Year's Eve, New York, 2012**_

Beth didn't know how many times Tony had tried to convince them to celebrate New Year's at the tower, but she was certain that if he tried one more time, Steve was likely to blow the building up. As with Christmas, they'd opted to spend time with just the two of them, but the billionaire had found it too impossible to believe, and had tried desperately for them to come to the over the top party he was throwing. Eventually, the siblings settled for switching off their phones in the hope Tony would get the message.

"I never really cared for New Year's" Steve admitted as they listened to the radio announcer proclaiming they had two hours to go.

"I know. You would stay up long enough to say happy new year then head to bed. It was always Bucky and I who would continue partying." Beth chuckled, remembering all too well the times they would walk Steve home and scampering back to the party before their parents could call them back.

"I'm not much for them myself these days. I've seen so many and they all seem so fickle now." she confided.

Steve wasn't surprised to hear her say that. He imagined he would be the same too if he'd had to go through so many years as she had. A knock at the door interrupted them as they were about to continue talking, Tony's voice following suit.

"Hey Capsicle, aunt Beth! Come to the party!"

Gritting her teeth, Beth stood to confront him, but Steve's hand on her arm halted her. With a finger to his lips, he pointed to the window and Beth grinned. Within seconds, they had stuffed their feet into boots and thrown on their coats, Tony continuing to call out to them as they slid out of the window and made their leave via the fire escape. They wandered aimlessly for a while, their hats and coats shielding them not only from the snow, but also from the potential of being recognised. It was as they were turning a corner that Beth grabbed Steve's arm.

"We haven't done the thing!" she exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

It took a second for his mind to process what she said, but when it did, he felt his lips pull up widely.

"Let's do it."

Thirty minutes later, the pair were standing at the bottom of the Hudson bridge, looking out at the water, the city lights reflected across mirrored surface. Not once had she been here since Bucky died, and being here now without him felt wrong. In the whole world,not that he'd been to many places, Bucky had declared this spot his favourite in the world. It was the trio's tradition to come here every New Year's Eve and make a wish on the water for the year to come. As children, Bucky had convinced Beth that the lights were actually fairies, and even as an adult armed with the knowledge of truth, she still allowed herself that one tiny fantasy each year. Seeing the sight for the first time in decades made her heart swell. _"Make a wish Bethie."_ , she could hear Bucky saying to her as the first chimes began to sound, marking the end of the year. Beside her, Steve took her hand and the pair of them simultaneously shut their eyes to make their wishes, a single tear falling from Beth's as she wished for any way to see Bucky again. As the first of the new year's fireworks began to light the sky, she found herself looking back over her shoulder, to find Bucky smiling at her from his usual perch above them. Hot tears spilled down her face as her wish came true, more falling when she blinked and he was gone again.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, noticing his sister was crying.

"Nothing. I'm good, I promise." she said, brushing away the dampness to smile at him.

As his arms encircled her once more, Beth turned her gaze upwards, thanking God for the hundredth time for bringing her brother back to her and allowing her a glimpse of Bucky.


End file.
